With historical references to the West Indies and use of reggae music.
NETFLIX
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
Luke Cage’s first season established black culture to the fullest and that blackness permeated throughout the plot and its characters’ arc developments in all 13 episodes. The show gave an unapologetic glimpse into the African American experience in a way no other superhero series or film has. Set in Harlem, the New York City borough was a conduit for displaying the community’s struggles like police brutality, gang violence, black masculinity, the American prison system, and so much more. In addition, the title’s first season also embraced hip-hop, the genre of blaxploitation, and clever references to African American pop culture. An example of this reference would be how the last episode’s fight scene between Luke Cage and Diamondback felt similar to Craig (Ice Cube) and Deebo’s (Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister) final brawl sequence in the movie Friday.
Retrospectively, the city of New York once again lends itself as a melting pot of different ethnicities to effectively implement the themes of mixing cultures into the show.
BUSHMASTER/NETFLIX
A New Villain With Deep Cultural Roots
Now in Luke Cage Season 2, we see the black experience being expanded through the exploration of both West Indian and Jamaican culture. A prime example of this is the introduction of the show’s newest villain, Bushmaster who hails from Jamaica. Showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker stated that “When I started looking at characters that could be Luke Cage rivals, I came across Bushmaster. In his Marvel bio, it said that he came from a small Caribbean island. I thought, let’s not be vague, let’s make it Jamaica because Jamaican culture is so specific.” With the villain’s addition, the series was able to organically explore the country’s culture and traditions of which are distinctly different from the African American lifestyle.
HYPEBEAST caught up with Gosha Rubchinskiy and his team who visited Beijing for the city’s Dover Street Market reopening. Rubchinskiy shed light on the new strategic direction of his namesake brand, plans to open a new skate shop, and what he thinks of Virgil Abloh’s appointment to Louis Vuitton.
Retrospectively, the city of New York once again lends itself as a melting pot of different ethnicities to effectively implement the themes of mixing cultures into the show. 
