The Texas-born hip-hop duo UGK confidently gazed into the camera atop stallions in the music video for their fan-favorite song, "Wood Wheel." The visuals reflected the legendary Houston-area artist's mastery of blending stories of big-city hustle with charming Texas cowboy culture.
"This isn't about Black people trying to assimilate into the Western lifestyle. Black people all over the country, from the East Coast to the West Coast, have prevailed in this space for years," said Bun B, who, along with partner Pimp C, became a pillar of Southern hip-hop, creating hits that helped make it the dominant rap genre today.
Stars: Jordan Peele, Pam Grier, Glynn Turman
Bun, an ambassador for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and the first and only Black male hip-hop headliner in its history, shares his experiences in "High Horse: The Black Cowboy," a new docuseries executive produced by Jordan Peele and his production company, Monkeypaw Productions. The project highlights who he claims were the first American cowboys—Black men—and attempts to challenge American mythology and pop culture's portrayal of those in high boots and Stetson hats.
“Being a Black artist in this 90-plus-year-old concert series has been incredible for me, but it’s also given me a deeper perspective on the place of Black cowboys in American history,” Bun told The Associated Press. “It’s been energizing trying to fill this void of confusion where people with a little knowledge often have a distorted view.”
Directed by Jason Perez and available on Peacock, the three-part docuseries is an extension of Peele’s 2022 box office hit, “Nope.” Starring Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer, the film follows brothers who run the only Black-owned horse ranch in California, where they train horses for Hollywood productions.
The horror-science fiction film references Eadweard Muybridge, a pioneer of motion picture photography, and his groundbreaking moving image "The Horse in Motion," noting that while the mare, Sallie Gardner, has always been recognized, the Black rider who rides her remains virtually unknown.
"We decided to embark on this journey to truly uncover, or rather, to ask the question: What happened to the Black cowboy? Who erased him?" said Keisha Senter, senior vice president of culture and impact at Monkeypaw and executive producer of the project. "At Monkeypaw, we firmly believe that erasure is a horror story."
"High Horse" is filled with archival footage and photos that contextualize the lives of early Black cowboys. Beyond creating a more complete representation of the Old West, it documents how Black cowboy communities remain vibrant in various parts of the country, while also tracing their struggles and triumphs.
The docuseries focuses on the history and disappearance of the Black cowboy, systemic racism, and the ongoing struggles Black citizens face with land ownership, which date back to the post-slavery Reconstruction era, as well as the impact African Americans have had on entertainment throughout the history of country westerns. It arrives amid the country's current political tensions. Critics of the Trump administration point out that its policies disproportionately and negatively affect Black Americans, including the elimination of DEI programs, mass layoffs at federal agencies, and cuts to skilled nursing benefits, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Participants include Peele, Glynn Turman, Pam Grier, Tina Knowles, and Rick Ross, who discuss their own experiences with cowboy culture. R&B legend Raphael Saadiq composed the project's original score.
“This is a pivotal moment in history, and I can see what’s coming,” said Turman, a New York City-raised actor who has lived on a California ranch for decades. “This documentary has given us a survival tool.” Turman, the 78-year-old Emmy winner who received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in July, is no stranger to using entertainment to educate. He played retired Army Colonel Bradford Taylor on the hit 1990s sitcom “A Different World,” a spinoff of “The Cosby Show” set on a historically Black college campus.
“I’m from the generation where we made great strides, strides at a high price. And to see ourselves in a time when institutions are actually trying to undo those strides is disheartening,” Turman said of the current political divide in the country.
The docuseries also briefly touches on the conversation surrounding property rights.
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