Certified Haters Want You to Know: “Black People Are Behind Everything”

By Adora Brown

Nahisha Jackson (they/them) and Nia Tucker (they/them) are dismantling what you know about Black artists in their new show “Certified Haters.” 

On their show, Jackson and Tucker examine the trends, music, and artists who have influenced the music culture today. Although the original plan was to talk about things they hate in pop culture, the show has quickly turned into discussing their shared passions. 

“I feel like the overarching thing that we’re hating on is anti-Blackness,” said Tucker. 

Topics thus far have been Azealia Banks, Janet Jackson, and Kelis to highlight Black, female artists during Black History Month. Each episode discusses how these women have been failed by the music industry or society. With their unique conversational and hilarious tone, the Certified Haters unpack anti-Blackness and its impact on these artists. 

Tucker states, “I think we want, at the end of the day, for people to have a newfound respect for the people that we talk about. And also understand why their career may not have been highlighted as much.”

The songs you hear on-air are not only by the featured artists, but also by the artists inadvertently inspired by their pioneering styles. Last week, Jackson and Tucker talked about Kelis, whose style inspired the anger that artists such as Rico Nasty can now express to a more mainstream audience. 

The two Emerson students love talking about the music they grew up on, especially when it lifts up the Black artists that shaped the music industry. They constantly challenge the references and terminology that tend to dominate radio shows.

Jackson adds, “Sometimes the way people talk about things is really inaccessible to people who haven’t grown up rich or white or knowing specific music terms.” They continue, “I want it to be educational for other Black people.”

When asked what they want their listeners to know, Jackson and Tucker had identical answers.

“Black people are behind everything,” said Jackson.

Tucker adds, “Everything you can think of there’s a Black person who sung it first, did it first, acted it out first, conceptualized it, and did it better.”

Certified Hater’s message is best illustrated in their new playlist, “certified haters 101” on Spotify. It features sounds ranging from FKA twigs to Donna Summer, plus a sneak peek into the sounds of Black punk music they will tackle this week. 

Certified Haters airs Thursdays 6-7 on wecb.fm.