rodeo goes trill

Bun B makes RodeoHouston history with game-changing trill H-Town Takeover

Bun B will be the first Black male Houstonian to headline the rodeo.

Photo courtesy of Bun B/RodeoHouston

While the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo is (hopefully) a few months away, Bun B has already got a big event planned for it.

The rapper/philanthropist/CultureMap Tastemaker Awards host/smash burger vendor will host Bun B’s H-Town Takeover on March 11, 2022 (aka Black Heritage Day), which will include performances from Houston’s most well-known rap icons.

“The rodeo reached out to us and made contact,” says B. “I said that we would be interested in doing something. Obviously, we said yes. We talked about what that vision would look like. We agreed on that vision, and we’re gonna present that vision on Black Heritage Day.”

“The Rodeo can’t wait to bring Bun B and many of Houston’s most legendary rappers to the RodeoHouston stage in 2022,” Rodeo president/CEO Chris Boleman said in a press release. “Celebrating Black Heritage Day with many of our city’s own superstars should make for an epic night for Houstonians and Rodeo fans alike.”

For the proud, Port Arthur native, having a night at the rodeo is an honor indeed. He’ll make history as the Black male rodeo headliner from Houston. “I’ve performed twice before, once with Leon Bridges [in 2018] and once with Beyoncé [in 2004],” he says. But, to actually be a headliner on that stage is an extremely significant point in my career, as well as my personal life.”

While the guest list isn’t set in stone, B knows he has to come with some heavy hitters to appease the Black Heritage Day crowd. Whenever the Rodeo comes around, the discussion of who gets to perform on Black Heritage Day becomes a hotly debated topic.

Although the Rodeo has brought in such stars as Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Alicia Keys and, yes, Beyoncé, they’ve also invited Bridges and Jason Derulo, artists who some felt aren’t that popular enough with Black listeners to be Black Heritage Day headliners.

Nevertheless, B says he’s ready for all the discussions to get underway once he announces who will join him for the Takeover. “I understand the cultural significance of being not just a Black man, but a Black rapper headlining the Rodeo,” he says.

“There’s a lot of expectations. There’s also gonna be a lot of people counting on me to fail. So, I wanna prove my supporters right and my haters wrong.”

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a beautiful mind

Houston Health Museum's new exhibit shines a light on dyslexia

Sarah Sudhoff created "The Reading Brain" in honor of her son.

Photo by Rose Tylinski

"The Reading Brain" replicates neuron activity in a dyslexic brian while reading

No, "The Reading Brain" isn't the title of a B-horror film from the 1960s. It's a brand new installation at the Houston Health Museum that explores dyslexia.

The piece was created by Houston-based artist Sarah Sudhoff, in partnership with Dr. Guinevere Eden, Director of the Center for the Study of Learning at Georgetown University. Hanging from the ceiling of the Health Museum, it uses light-up colored circles to represent the frontal lobe activity of a dyslexic person while reading. MRI scans of dyslexic brains formed the foundation of the light activity. Sudhoff's own son has dyslexia, and she had to adapt her homeschooling of him to account for his neurodivergence. As much as 20 percent of the American population is dyslexic.

"The Reading Brain" grew out of a similar exhibit at the DoSeum in San Antonio. "Beautiful Minds: Dyslexia and the Creative Advantage" challenged visitors to see dyslexia not as a learning disability but as simply a different way some human brains work. The exhibit featured videos, stories, and art work by dyslexic individuals that show how they succeed and create, as well as a selection of brain puzzles used to teach dyslexic people.

“Even though your brain works differently, it still lights up and is beautiful to watch, a wonderful machine you have. It just means you have to navigate and pivot a little differently,” Sudhoff said.

Sudhoff's innovative bridge between science and art is a permanent part of the Health Museum's MindWorks exhibit. Like "The Reading Brain," MindWorks maps out thinking processes through light and hands-on activities. The exhibit will close on January 5, meaning visitors have a very short time to see Sudhoff's piece.

The Health Museum is a hidden gem in Museum District located a block away from the Children's Museum. It houses a variety of exhibits about the human body, such as a giant plastic colon that kids love to run through. Since opening in 1969, the museum has helped Houstonians and visitors from around the world learn about the way the body works as well well as public health protocols. As the only Smithsonian Affiliate Museum in the Houston Museum District, it has a high educational pedigree despite it's colorful and often whimsical offerings.

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