91LIL BABY26 • Powerful lyricistBY KILLER MIKEI learned about Lil Baby from my niece—
when my nieces and nephews tell me
about someone, I tune in. What a rich,
bluesy voice. But I became a true fan
after hearing Lil Baby in interviews. He
spoke with the wisdom of an old soul
that’s also apparent in his lyrics. His
song “The Bigger Picture,” released last
summer following the killing of George
Floyd, is all about nuance and judgment.
Others may simply say, “F the police,”
but Lil Baby is brave enough to be
diff erent: his lyrics note that change may
not happen overnight, but we have to
start somewhere. The song encourages
people to seek understanding, not
more misunderstanding, which leads to
further anger, pain and violence.
Lil Baby also embodies Atlanta. He
went to Booker T. Washington High
School, which is named for the famed
educator and counts Martin Luther King
Jr. and Lena Horne among its alumni—
and went back to donate $150,000 in
scholarships to open up opportunities
for students. He will carry on this city’s
tradition: taking what he makes from
music and investing in his community.
Atlanta has actively participated in—and
dominated—music for the past 20 years.
Lil Baby will be the tip of the spear
that drives Atlanta to the forefront of
American—and global—music.Killer Mike is a Grammy Award–winning
musical artist and an activistShira Haas
25 • CREATING A
CONNECTION
BY DEBORAH FELDMAN
It’s hard to watch someone
else depict painful experiences
that you went through. How do
you know they won’t take away
your dignity by diminishing the
experience? But when Shira Haas
played Esty in Unorthodox, Netfl ix’s
adaptation of my memoir on
leaving my Satmar Hasidic Jewish
community in Brooklyn, I could see
she had a reverence and respect
for the material.
Shira has a way of bringing
an intensity to the screen that’s
incredibly convincing, no matter
how far-fetched or strange a
narrative can seem. As Shira
inhabits Esty’s inner world,
navigating the abandonment of
her old life among the Satmar
community and her transition to
new experiences, she unpacks
and destroys clichés about how we
perceive those who are different
from us. You can trust her with
work that, in other hands, might
come across as one-dimensional.
As a result, audiences develop
connections and associations
with worlds they previously didn’t
understand—that’s what Shira
accomplished with the Hasidic
community; that is what she can
accomplish as an actress. And
that’s a rare magic.
Feldman is the author of the
memoir Unorthodox: The
Scandalous Rejection of My
Hasidic Roots
John Wilson34 • A fresh
perspectiveBY JUDD APATOWHow To With John Wilson is not
what I expected. A year ago,
its executive producer, Nathan
Fielder, had trouble explaining it
to me. “Well, John shoots video
around New York City and talks
over it. It’s really great. You have
to see it.” When I fi nally watched
the fi rst episode, “How To Make
Small Talk,” it rocked me. It’s
very awkward, and very funny.
John winds up at spring break
in Cancún, Mexico, seeking
friendship. For a moment, you
wonder if he is making fun of
everyone partying in pre-COVID
days. He starts hanging around
with a young man who is wild and
ridiculous in his pursuit of fun.
This all leads to a very intimate
conversation where the man
admits he is there because he is
grieving the loss of a friend who
committed suicide. I watched
in tears.
What has John Wilson
created? What is this format?
What he shows in How To is not
the view from a video camera.
It is how we all see the world
through our eyes. We walk the
world, occasionally catching
glimpses of ourselves in mirrors
as we observe beauty, madness,
comedy, horror, magic, pain,
absurdity, joy, ugliness, love,
connection. It is life. This
strange, seemingly lonely, sweet
man is us.Apatow is a fi lm director,
producer, writer and comedian