Taste Buds

A curated bite of everything I’m loving right now: brands, creators, artists, playlists, aesthetics, etc.

Hey y’all, welcome to Taste Buds : a new series on my newsletter where I share the things I’m loving and craving when it comes to creative taste. You know how you get a DM from one of your good friends and it’s a post that says, “I thought you would like this”? Think of this as that. I want this series to expand your palette, like me getting you to try new food that I hope you end up loving.

Since today is Juneteenth, everything in this post is going to be Blackity Black Black. Let’s get to it.

Arcmanoro Niles, My Heart is Like Paper : 2019

(Detail) 2019, Oil, Acrylic and Glitter on Canvas

I discovered this artist recently and fell in love. Their work is so simple but bold at the same time. It’s not too often that you see men and the color pink like this. Truly exquisite work.

Official Honey Hand

Official Honey Hand, based in London, is in a league of her own. She’s not just doing hair, She’s sculpting art. What makes her work so insane is that she creates these undetectable pixie cuts using full lace wigs… and you would never know.Truly in a league of her own. One day I will sit in her chair. Mark my words!

Teyana Taylor - Long Time

If you had me fucked up was a person and a song it would be this video. Teyana Taylor knows how to make her prescence known. This song is so good and the music video is such good quality. Im sat and so excited for her to keep rolling stuff out.

“The Kids gon be alright”

There’s something so special about seeing a young Black kid singing the oldies. It tells me they were raised around good taste, real love, and the kind of home where music mattered.

When a kid knows Anita, Stevie, or Luther even halfway it means culture was passed down. It means somebody cared enough to make sure they felt soul early. That’s more than good parenting, it’s legacy at work!

stevienoj_

A post shared by @stevienoj_

@Errftomars

I love a fresh Black editorial that feels forward-thinking. Lately, I’ve noticed a lot of work leaning heavily into the “Gabriel Moses aesthetic” which had its moment, but it’s exciting to see artists evolving. I feel like Renell Medrano, whose early style set the tone for so many, is intuitively shifting into a new visual lane. And I’m really drawn to the work of an artist named @erftomars — their eye is sharp, intentional, and refreshing. Definitely one to watch.

Summa’s Just Begun

A playlist I made of some of my favorite songs that make me feel like summer whenever I hear them. There’s a few on here that came from my IG followers as well. Shoutout to y’all! Play it on shuffle for a more entertaining experience. I will be updating the playlist periodically. Available only on Apple music (sorry Spotify people!)

Aya’s Angels

Brooklyn-based artist Aya Brown creates remixes of the popular toy craze Sonny Angels but with a twist that feels long overdue. Since the original collectible dolls don't come in Black, Aya decided to make her own version: beautifully melanated, hand-crafted figures that reflect the richness and variety of Black beauty.

It’s playful, political, and personal all at once. The kind of art I love and the type of cultural remix that only we could pull off. She took something that didn’t include us and turned it into something that centers us. That’s why I love us. Always finding a way to reimagine the world in our image with tenderness, taste, and a little bit of fun.

Kudzanai-Violet Hwami, You are killing my spirit,

2021, oil on canvas.

One of the pieces that stays with me is "You are killing my spirit" (2021) by Kudzanai-Violet Hwami. Behind her is a pink-framed collage of ghostlike faces, half-present, half-vanished. They feel like an audience in limbo—watching, waiting, expecting. It reminds me of what it feels like to be a creative and how you feel like its always someone watching you even after you’ve logged out of the world. What I love is that she appears to be unafraid to be seen in this soft, undone state.

It perfectly captures the feeling of creative burnout—when your body is exhausted, your spirit’s low, but you’re still reaching for something gentle. It’s a reminder that rest is not retreat. It’s resilience. And sometimes, the bravest thing a creative can do is pause on purpose.

Bryson Ammons

I genuinely believe artisans make the world go round. The passion and intention they pour into their craft reminds us that nothing is ever just surface-level. Everything has depth. This is Bryson Ammons and he owns the Alloy Studio. He is a master perfumer and makes really unique scents from scratch. I love following him!

brysonammons

A post shared by @brysonammons

Elisa Johnson Eyewear

One of my favorite things to witness is when people with access use it well. A lot of nepo babies fumble the bag due to a lack of vision, not money. But Elisa Johnson understood the assignment and aced it. Her eyewear brand is intentional, elevated, and dripped in taste. Adding this to my current cravings reminded me: I’ve been meaning to grab a pair of her shades. Let me stop playing.

Ceej Vega

AI is still a developing art form, so anytime I see something that makes me go woah, I have to stop and examine it. My good friend CJ has been making a name for himself in the AI space and recently launched a new profile called Cruddy AI. Cruddy, in Baltimore slang, typically means grimy, gritty, or rough around the edges. It’s often used to describe something raw, unpolished, or a little hood, but not necessarily in a negative sense. And that’s exactly what CJ’s work embodies.

What I love most is how he seamlessly keeps the texture and grit of Baltimore alive but delivers it in a way that feels cinematic and deeply intentional.

The video below was posted on Father’s Day and was inspired by the fact that so many Black boys grow up without their fathers (CJ included). The subject’s line, “I never even met the n*gga who prompted me” is sheer genius. It’s cold, layered, and unforgettable. Watch his space.

ceej.vega

A post shared by @ceej.vega

Denzel Washington : American Gangster

There aren’t many movies I’ve watched in my life but the few I have have shaped me tremendously. The following clip is from one of my all-time favorite movies: American Gangster.

Frank Lucas, played by Denzel Washington, built an empire off of one rule: move in silence. But then his wife buys him a $50,000 chinchilla coat and hat. He wears it to the Ali vs. Frazier fight — front row and that moment changes everything. The feds clock him. They literally go, “Wait… who is that?” because until then, he wasn’t even on their radar.

Shortly after, he gets pulled over and the feds mention the coat and tell him that if he wants to stay a free man, then he needs to pay 10K at the first of every month, which back then was like 80K. Once he gets home, he rushes upstairs, takes the coat and burns it in the fireplace.

I always think about how to avoid the mink coat moment in life. The time where you get too greedy, and get too comfortable and let something that you wouldnt normally do fall through the cracks.

The truth is: somebody’s always watching. Especially when you’re Black, brilliant, and building something big. The lesson? Don’t ever think sh*t is sweet and never let your softness compromise your strategy. Don’t let one loud move undo all your quiet progress. Stay sharp. Stay grounded. Stay out the way until it’s time.

This concludes today’s Taste Buds.

Let me know in the comments what tasted the best to you!

-DonYé