5 Episodes of 'Awkward Black Girl' to Watch If You Liked 'Insecure'

Loving 'Insecure' but haven't watched 'Awkward Black Girl'? Don't worry, we've got a crash course for you.

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Complex Original

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Many Americans have just been introduced to the hilarious Issa Rae after her new HBO series Insecure premiered last night, but for those who know, homegirl has been making us crack up with her accurate reflections of awkwardness since 2011 with her outstanding web series, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. This was a show that was so amazing and striking that after just one season, Pharrell's i am OTHER YouTube channel picked it up and premiered the entire second season, which grabbed a Shorty for best web show in 2012.

While it's insane to imagine that this was the first series to truly depict the black female nerd on-screen, Rae took it to the next level, incorporating a mix of pop culture references, hip-hop, and an intoxicating love story into the series. At its peak, the #AwkwardBlackGirlHive was rabid, going in on Rae's mentions if an episode didn't drop on time. Without Awkward Black Girl, there probably wouldn't be an Insecure, and while you can enjoy Insecure without knowing about Awkward Black Girl, you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you slept on it. 

For those who are unacquainted, we've got you covered. No, this isn't a look at the best episodes of Awkward Black Girl; rather, we're looking at episodes and moments from its two-season run that highlight the brilliance of Issa Rae, and the hope that we get to see more moments like these as Insecure plays out. We'd like to think that, if Issa's Awkward Black Girl character J saw this piece, she'd say something like "bitches be faaaans!"

Awkward Bars

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Awkward Lies

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Awkward Dancing

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Awkward Meetings

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Awkward Make Ups

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