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The Huxtables Meant More to Hip-Hop Than Bill Cosby Ever Could
A little bit of hip-hop and a whole lot of soul
“Jammin’ on the one.”
On an early episode of The Cosby Show, that’s the line Theo Huxtable told Stevie Wonder he’d use at a party. To my young ears, it sounded old and dated — the kind of phrase that would sit in the company of “jive turkey” and “foxy momma.” The episode aired in 1986, before I was born, and more than a decade had passed when the episode first graced my TV screen, but it was an instant favorite. “Jammin’ on the one” and Stevie Wonder singing “I Just Called To Say I Love You” with the Huxtables stuck with me; a little bit of hip-hop and a whole lot of soul.
It wasn’t just that one episode; the Huxtables stuck with me in general. Watching the fictional family on Nick at Nite was like viewing a fantasy, a goal. It was a family that seemed worth mimicking: a doctor father, a lawyer mother, and five Black kids of different shades and personalities. Growing up, The Cosby Show was more than a show; it was a glimpse into the ideal future. A future of fun, a future of family — a future where you could be Black and successful.
The great Questlove was also impacted by the Huxtables’ session with Stevie. He saw more than Black excellence; he saw the magic of sampling. Stevie…
