"Dear White People" Stars Discuss Their Favorite Musical Numbers From Vol.4

“Dear White People Vol. 4” is officially streaming on Netflix and we had a chance to talk to the cast about the final season’s musical arc!

Source: Lara Solanki / Netflix

BOSSIP’s Sr. Content Director Janeé Bolden spoke with “Dear White People” series regulars Brandon Bell (Troy Fairbanks), DeRon Horton (Lionel Higgins) and Antoinette Robertson (Colandrea “Coco” Conners) about the show’s final season. The plot in the final season revolves around a student musical which uses popular songs from the 90’s and required the actors to dance and sing through most of the episodes.

Source: Courtesy Netflix / Netflix

The exception is Robertson’s character, Coco, who is away filming a reality series “The Big House,” similar to “Big Brother.” We asked her about being separated from most of her core scene partners for much of the season.

Source: Lara Solanki / Netflix

“I felt left out, but I don’t sing, so I was grateful for it!” Robertson told BOSSIP. “I was like ‘Don’t nobody need to hear me crowing!’ But at the same time, I had fun. the ‘Big House’ stuff was heightened and its own surreal reality, I 100% missed everyone else but I got to rap for a little big so that was fun.”

Janeé spoke to Brandon Bell and DeRon Horton about the interesting dynamic between their characters Lionel and Troy, who were roommates when we first met them and have both evolved a lot throughout the seasons. She asked which of the characters gained more from the relationship, both Bell and Horton agreed that Troy probably benefitted more from Lionel’s friendship.

Source: Courtesy Netflix / Netflix

“Troy gained more from me to be honest, I tried to get him off drugs, remember he was on drugs the first season?” DeRon Horton joked. “I got him off drugs, I told him to patch things up with his mom… I think Troy honestly got the strength to be vulnerable from Lionel. There was all this pressure on him to be this handsome dude, the macho man, and the President; he’s got to have his stuff together all the time. Lionel was his safe place to be vulnerable and be imperfect, but at the same time, I think Lionel was learning those lessons himself. They’re just different people at the end of the day.”

Source: Patrick McElhenney / Netflix

“They definitely help each other in different ways. That was a really good argument,” Brandon Bell said, “DeRon you might be right. Those emotional, vulnerable aspects of life are equally important as the more superficial things because Troy didn’t really help him [Lionel] come out, Troy just provided a safe space. I think the friendship on Troy’s part was big for Lionel and I think Lionel helped him with intricate moments of being emotional and vulnerable.”

We don’t want to spoil too much for the season but we had to ask the three actors which of the musical numbers was their favorite.

Source: Patrick McElhenney / Netflix

“Oooooooh, ‘Pretty Brown Eyes,” Antoinette Robertson responded.

“She’s a Bi***” DeRon Horton told BOSSIP, “She killed that! I don’t care!”

“That was shot so tough,” Brandon Bell interjected. “I remember when I saw that I was like ‘Whoa…” And Missy Elliott, that song was crazy. So maybe that one. We didn’t know Joy as well as each other so that to me was for sure a pleasant surprise for the season.”

“Ooooh or ‘Friend,'” Antoinette Robertson added. ” ‘Friend is a Four Letter Word.’ A lot of people were in that one. I like that one too. Or the final song.”

Watch the interview below:

“Dear White People, Vol. 4” is NOW STREAMING… Only on NETFLIX!