Urban legends have run rampant throughout world history, with many evolving into full on conspiracy theories that have gained so much cultural cachet, many can’t help but believe their legitimacy.
Despite the rich and famous calling out “corny” accusations of sacrificing family members or engaging in various sex acts in exchange for massive success, others have been so insistent that this is, indeed, how things work in Hollywood — often threatening to “out” those who’ve allegedly been rewarded for nefarious acts done on the illuminati’s behalf — that more and more skeptics are being bred by the day.
This has become a particularly hot talking point within Black culture, specifically Hip-Hop, as almost every very successful Black person has, in some way, been accused of being a member or affiliate of the organization. In new graphic novel ILLuminati , the controversial topic comes to life via brilliant illustrations from Black and Brown artists, visualizing the story of a young woman with psychic abilities who journeys to Los Angeles to find answers after her twin sister, a rising Hip-Hop star, is murdered.
VIBE sat down for a chat with The Breakfast Club co-host Charlamagne Tha God, producer of ILLuminati , as well as Artists, Writers and Artisans (AWA) Chief Executive Officer Axel Alonso to discuss the fantasy thriller graphic novel, Char’s own thoughts on conspiracy theories, the project’s Kickstarter campaign, and whether or not celebs can look forward to seeing themselves spoofed within the illustrated take on one of Hip-Hop’s hottest topics.
VIBE: When was the first time you remember hearing about the Illuminati?
Charlamagne Tha God: Probably Prodigy from Mobb Deep, when he said, “Illuminati want my mind, soul and my body.” Then reading books like Behold a Pale Horse. The Black Illuminati? I didn’t actually know of a Black Illuminati, but I started hearing about black people in the Illuminati probably when the internet started to really grow and reading different comment sections, especially on WorldStar Hip Hop at the time.
I want to say the first person I probably really heard about being in the Illuminati were the Oprah Winfrey types, and then the rappers. You started hearing about rituals that rappers and actors were doing in order to have success. And a lot of the rituals had to do with things revolving around homosexuality and human sacrifices, so it was just like, “huh.”
VIBE: Are there any conspiracy theories or urban legends that you 100% believe?
CTG: Anything to do with extraterrestrials, anything to do with a Sasquatch. I’m a big Sasquatch guy.
VIBE: I think people may have expected you, Charlamagne, to produce something that was a more lighthearted or funny, like a parody of the Black Illuminati, something we’d see on a sketch show. But the tone here, it feels very rich and very dark.
Axel Alonso: It was very clear in the first document, this is a dark, supernatural thriller, not a light-hearted journey, a very dark journey. A fun journey with twists and turns that deals with this urban legend in the backdrop, and Charlemagne loved it.
CTG: Yes, and I’m inspired by seeing Black and Brown people being in these spaces that they usually don’t see us in. There’s plenty of Black people who love science fiction. There’s plenty of blerds like me who love comic books and love dramadies and things of that nature, but especially science fiction and the supernatural, especially the supernatural.
VIBE: Have you always been into graphic novels?
CTG: Oh yeah, forever. I’m a huge, huge, huge, huge, huge comic book fan. I been a comic book fan my whole life. I got this whack-ass tattoo of Wolverine on my arm. I got this when I was 16 or 17 years old. Love the Black Panther graphic novels and I was really into the graphic novels Aaron McGruder was doing when The Boondocks was popular back in the day.
VIBE: What was the significance of introducing a female “superhero” into this story?
CTG: I just feel like we always talk about under-representation in all of these different spaces, but I’ve always loved female superheroes because when you look at female superheroes in comics, comics might be the only place where there is actually true equality. You can have God-level superheroes like a Storm or a Jean Gray, I was always attracted the Rogue. I thought Rogue was so dope because her superpowers, she could absorb any of your powers. So just think about that.
I think that’s so dope, especially having four daughters, because that’s the other thing, too. I’ve watched the things that my four daughters gravitate towards, and it wasn’t like when I was growing up as a young Black man, there wasn’t a lot of representation for me in a lot of these different spaces that I was consuming. But now their lives are totally different because there is so much great representation that they can look to in all facets of life and different industries and entertainment, including comic books.
Alex Alonso: And she’s not so much a “super” hero, like with a costume and mask. She’s like T’Challa, a very formidable, heroic character who has some fledgling psychic abilities to come to the forefront in the story. But again, this is not a problem she can solve by punching it away. She has to solve the problem, survive it, and solve it.
VIBE: Are there any celebrities who can expect to be parodied or referenced in the novel?
CTG: [Laughs] This may or may not be based on a true story, Jessica. I’ll leave it at that. True stories.
Axel Alonso: The project is fully funded and up and running, but we wanted to reach the largest audience possible and go right to the people. Kickstarter allows us to give people a tiered experience so they can opt in as much as they want for the ride. Charlemagne is lending his voice to support and help shape the project to help these creators tell their story the way it’s meant to be told. As we talked about in Hollywood, there’s a lot of chefs in the kitchen. Here, the chefs are Charlemagne, my self, and the creators. That’s it.
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