Reality Queens

Digital Drawing on Ipad
2022

So thinking about black history still in Women's History Month I want to expound on my ideas behind this drawing thinking about adult films from the lens of black performers and producers.

I have followed Cherokee D’Ass (@therealdassxxx ) for some years. She is beautiful to me and one of my favorite actresses and entrepreneurs because of her contribution to the adult film industry. Additionally, her acting and dancing talents along with acute business acumen have paved the way for black actresses, models, and sex workers to embrace their bodies and sexuality. Cherokee is thick she is best known in the industry for her large 52-inch size behind. I believe that her body and performance boosted the craze with large asses in the mid-2000s and now in 2022 we are hard-pressed to find an urban fashion model without body mods, especially a big ass. She is a trendsetter.

**Cherokee D’Ass**
A legend in the Adult Film industry

Cherokee is a Californian with a life-long love for glamour, fashion, modeling, and travel. In 1999, at age 23 she started her acting career in explicit hardcore movies. She quickly rose to stardom and gained popularity following her amateur debut. She retired from studio acting in 2010 and went on to start her film production company, YRK Production where she has directed more than 100 videos

Cherokee’s performances span over 150 X-rated features with some of the largest industry names: Black Ice, Hustler, Evasive Angles, and West Coast Productions, a prominent black-owned company. Her work has explored all sorts of adult themes and fetishes as well. Her talent did not go unnoticed as she was nominated for an AVN Award for Unsung Starlet of the Year in 2009 and in 2011 won Biggest Ass in Porn at the Urban X Awards. Since retiring as a professional actress, her focus has been engaging with her community and fans through webcam shows and vlog-style videos that explore her private sex life and travels around the world.

For me, I believe YRK production is the legacy that she is leaving our society. Along with cherokee’s fetishes.com, YRK production creates adult films centered around black actors and curvier women. Because of her feminine charm and vision, the films and movies she now directs have a sense of connection as opposed to random or aggressive hookups we see from male-directed adult films. This is done by her dialogue choice and conducting mini-interviews with her cast before things really heat up. Interviews before a scene is a classic trope in the industry, but Cherokee’s execution gives you an intimate vlog feel, spilling out passion with high-level production equipment and editing that enhances the experience. Even Hip Hop Artists, Drake says he still searches for Cherokee’s films.

Jayla Paige & Cherokee

*Photo from Instagram.com*

Something I think about is how black bodies are being objectified vs the free will and sexual autonomy of black adult film actors. How much control do these participants hold in the creative perception of their work? How can we hold ourselves in the highest light while sharing some of our most unspoken desires? Cherokee has helped bridge the world of objectification into a place of respect. For me, her work embraces the legend of the 1900s performer and spectacle for white folks, Sara Bartmann, and reclaiming the power that lies within beautiful feminine black bodies. Cherokee has built a successful business and continues to spotlight black creators and actors with bodies and personalities that differ from the industry norm and embrace body positivity for all sizes. She has learned to embrace her passion and share it with the world in the form of entertainment and now through physical products and even promotional work for clients

Thanks Cherokee for your work, it has always inspired me.

✪ ω ✪

*Note, Cherokee’s work is for adult audiences 18 +. Please web search at your own discrestion.