New York luxury fashion house, Coach, has premiered its second episode of Coach Conversations overnight, starring global ambassador, Michael B. Jordan. The actor, producer, and activist joins The Cut editor-in-chief, Lindsay Peoples Wagner, and hip hop artist Cordae, to speak on nurturing Black creatives in the entertainment industry.
“I am a reflection of those that came before me, and I stand on the shoulders of those that have lifted me up,” Jordan said in the new episode that coincides with Black History Month. “I feel it’s only right to give back to the community that gave so much to me and passing the torch to the next generation is part of that.”
Jordan starred in Just Mercy, a film following Bryan Stevenson who battles the American justice system to save innocent Black men from death row. When the Black Lives Matter protests hit boiling point in 2020, the 34-year-old felt it “weighed more” on him than in the past.
“This particular time everything was sitting still,” Jordan says. “It was at a time when there weren’t as many distractions. It was in solidarity. People didn’t have any excuses for choosing not to see or not to pay attention.”
It was during the filming of Just Mercy where Jordan was introduced to Cordae, by Foxx. Speaking about the Grammy-nominated creative, Jordan said, “[Cordae’s] doing the exact same thing I’m doing but in a different genre. But it’s all universal.”
“The original purpose of hip-hop was to give voice to the voiceless…,” Cordae chimed in.”To me, it’s always important to remember that I’m carrying on that lineage through my music — and always to keep in mind how important this is for inspiring the next generation and laying a path.”
On a lighter note, the trio chuckled on Jordan’s recent naming of “Sexiest Man Alive.” Unfortunately for all of us, the A-lister is spoken for by Lori Harvey. The couple celebrated Valentine’s Day this past Sunday with Jordan hiring an entire aquarium for Harvey. And if that wasn’t enough, she was also gifted with Hermès stock. Last week the couple also celebrated Jordan’s birthday.
