bLAck pARty | Episode 5
“I felt like an alien.”
Malik “bLAck pARty” Flint is sitting with me in Death & Co over some drinks, referring to his teenage years growing up in Little Rock, Arkansas. It’s common for young boys to dream of becoming a pro basketball player and swishing buckets in the NBA, as he imagined. It’s also not that surprising to learn he had X-Games fantasies as well, hoping skateboard wizardry would one day make him a cult alternative sports star. Though, for me, the head-scratching begins when I find out that being a super-producer musician was his official Plan B.
See, most children are taught to keep some of their eggs in at least one “reasonable” basket. Malik had his spread among an assortment of outlandish passionpoints. “All of my plans–A through D–were all insane.” Agreed.
But somehow, today he’s comfortably smackdab between that producer wish and a dark horse ambition: becoming a front-facing artist himself. He currently assists the likes of multi-hyphenate superstar Donald “Childish Gambino” Glover as a producer while also releasing lush R&B projects that stretch the genre far beyond its perceived limits. Malik just dropped revamped version of his summer album The Last Dance–this one entitled Last Call. Now contrast his 2025 working Los Angeles artist reality with his “unlikely” dreams. Wild, right? He made it.
“Whatever I wanted to be, I was going to fight til the end for it. No one’s going to stop me.”
The unique thing about this THROUGH IT episode with bLAck pARty is that it doesn’t much touch on how any one traumatic or dramatic experience resulted in a life-altering shift. Rather, it’s Malik’s dogged belief in himself and how it fuels his steps that comes through almost immediately. What follows is his enthusiasm to study, the scientific method he applies to his creative moves, and his firm intention to execute his vision.
Imagine what it must have felt like to share his dreams with smalltown friends and family in Little Rock. We talk about that. Linking with Childish Gambino’s team via social media and watching Glover’s fame rocket in various directions? How he uses deep research to meld genres in his Dance and Call projects? Yes, it’s all in Episode 5 of THROUGH IT.
Episode 5 also features Malik doing another thing he loves: playing tennis. “If I didn’t do music, I’d be playing sports,” he says as we lace up our New Balance sneakers out on the court. “It’s very cerebral. That’s why I like [it].” It was my first time playing. (I wouldn’t suggest anyone do anything for the first time on camera, but here we are.)
To assist with my nonexistent tennis skillset, we brought Coach Liz Sanchez in. She taught us a few things. Then Malik and I went one-on-one. Under expert tutelage, it’s fair to assume it was a competitive match. Well, do that at your own risk.
The photos here in this article spoil the ending a bit. Malik is donning the champion’s polo and comfortably rocking a Girard-Perregaux watch. But if you’re a betting man, make a wager with a friend and guess how many points I score. Loser has to run sprints–just like on the playground. Watch the episode, load up on inspiring steps toward your dream, and admire a bold show host’s willingness to embarrass himself via racket and ball.
Enjoy.
-bw
CREDITS
Executive Producer, Brad Weté via HE TELLS STORIES
Director, Aaron Murray Vazquez
Joao Gonzalez
Tennis Coach, Liz Sanchez
bLAck pARty Grooming, Chelsea Ciara
Interview Location, Death & Co
Photographer, Joseph Weté
Brad's Barber, Garrick Dixon
Bartender, Zakary Carter
Tennis Segment Clothing & Sneakers (Brad & bLAck pARty), New Balance
Video Production, BLUE CAMELOT FILMS
THROUGH IT Logo designed by Marcus Hedgpeth
THROUGH IT Theme Song, "Pepper Soup," Produced by Nu Goteh
SPECIAL THANKS
Weté and Company, Inc
Jenna Gerbino Kaplan, Death & Co
bLAck pARty publicity, Natalie Geday
Myles Williams, c/o Gilga & Wolf + Rothstein
Girard-Perregaux via GIGANTEM
The Colours Shop
Levi Strauss & Co.
Tom Ford Beauty via KCD
Nike
Grand Slam Los Angeles