Issa Rae firmly lodged the phrase "I'm rooting for everybody black" into our collective consciousness during the 2017 Emmys.

Photo: GIPHY

Immediately, folks across the nation said, "I need this on a t-shirt!" And shirts appeared.

However, singer and podcaster Rob Milton wanted do do something different than simply quoting Rae, and decided to specifically name names.

– back with the jump off. #evrybdyblk inspired by @iamcardib’s epic win & @IssaRae’s epic quote. ✊???? https://t.co/hFmj5tpY6a pic.twitter.com/MRaHaSyKDR— Rob Milton (@therobmilton) September 27, 2017

From Ava DuVernay to Crissle West, from Donald Glover to Kid Fury Milton wanted to salute an array of Milton is clearly inspired by an array of black excellence.

We delved deeper into the sources of his inspiration with our own exclusive with Milton.

"As a creative and someone whose journey has been that of an underdog, I got a boost of hope and confidence seeing Cardi reach number one on the Billboard chart this week. We’ve seen her journey. It’s not the norm at all. She doesn’t fit into the respectability boxes," Milton told us. "She doesn’t speak the way that they say success should speak. She doesn’t look the way that they say success should look. Something about that really inspired me. If Cardi can, we all can."

And it's not just Cardi that Milton is a fan of. He has been here for Issa Rae!

"And that connected to Issa Rae as well, because I have been stanning for her literally since the day the first episode of Awkward Black Girl dropped. So her rise and glow up is equally as inspiring as Cardi’s."

Milton also touched on the ridiculousness of the butthurt backlash Issa Rae received for her very real comment.

"Her quote on the Emmy red carpet was so real. I’ve heard people call it racist, which is silly. Black and brown people are basically born underdogs. We don’t have as much support and as many resources as others," said Milton. "So whether we know each other or not, we are always rooting harder for us than for anybody else. I mean, come on when we watch Family Feud, we immediately root for the black family. You know you do it. Even Steve Harvey does it."

A fellow creative, Milton definitely knows the significance behind watching black and brown faces shine, because representation surely does matter.

"Much like Issa and Cardi, so many of the black creatives that are winning in their respective fields have been working towards this for years. We’ve been watching their web shows. We’ve been keeping up with their podcasts. We’ve been supporting whatever they’re doing. Partially because we see something in them that reminds us of ourselves," he said. "So seeing them win awards and move to higher levels in whatever it is that they do, we see that it’s possible for us to too. So in a way the shirts are to honor their success, but also to honor the possibility of our very own."

Possibility, indeed! In today's climate, we need to root for ourselves more than ever, and Milton gets it.

"So yeah, in this season of whatever the hell this country is currently going through … and every season to follow, I’m rooting for everybody black," Milton concluded. Word!

You can purchase the EVRYBDY BLK tees here!

Photo: GIPHY

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