As a child, if there was anything that could wake you up on a Saturday morning it was the line-up of cartoons that you watched like a hawk with your favorite bowl of cereal.  Now that you’re grown you’re thinking where have all the cartoons gone?  Well, they’ve moved to Monday nights on Cartoon Network’s 'Adult Swim' with the second season of Aaron McGruder’s hit cartoon The Boondocks. 

For those that don’t know, this ain’t no run-of-the-mill Bugs Bunny cartoon.  With its witty social commentary, The Boondocks doesn’t just push the envelope; it signs, seals, and delivers it with a big ole’ smack in the face.

The man behind the cartoon, Aaron McGruder, recently opened up to Sixshot.com about his views on the N-Word, Rev. Al Sharpton’s attack on his cartoon, the state of hip-hop, and “eighty year old white dudes” that just don’t get it.

How is season two different from the first season of the series?

When we finished the last script of the first season none of us had even seen the first episode.  We had written the entire season blind not knowing what the show looked like.  So now knowing what it looks like has obviously played a huge role in the way we shape season two.

We looked at season one and looked at what worked and what didn’t, and tried to make it a better show.  We have much better control over the animation which allows us to tell stories in a proper way.  I think the storytelling is much better, the pace is much faster, and it’s funnier.  So all around I’m really pleased with the outcome.

Have you found there to be a greater amount of freedom on television compared to newspapers, in terms of the topics you can address?

Yeah, there absolutely is much greater freedom on television.  There is a freedom of storytelling that comes from animation, and having all these people work for you.  You can go way beyond the scope of what a strip can do. In terms of content the newspapers are very conservative and sanitized, so I can express a greater range of ideas on television.  At the end of the day, the Martin Luther King Jr. episode we did last season would not have happened in a newspaper.

How did you feel about Rev. Al Sharpton's anger towards last season’s Martin Luther King Jr. episode?

It all depends on what you think is controversial.  Some people thought the episode was controversial, but I disagreed.  So everyone draws their line in a different place. 

Has Adult Swim [Cartoon Network] ever said no to an idea or storyline that you had out of fear that it might be too controversial?

I have free reign to do what I want.  They never said no to anything.

When you first created, The Boondocks, were you intentionally trying to cause controversy?

 No.  I wanted to do the kind of humor that I felt wasn’t out there, which is political satire.  When you go down that road--and if you do it with any success--I think that shaking things up comes with the territory.  I don’t think that it starts with the idea of shaking things up.  It’s like I have an idea that I think is funny, and I want to share it with people.

Did you ever expect that, The Boondocks, would be considered controversial even though that wasn’t your intention?

No, because I didn’t expect the strip to be as big as it was and so quickly.  In order to start trouble someone has to know who you are and that takes a long time in comics.  So when it started early that was a surprise.

Your show uses the N-word very often and recently that word has come under fire by many organizations and black leaders.  What is your current view on the word considering the call for an end of its use?

[Laughs]  I use the word in the show because I’m a bad person and I cannot in anyway defend what I do [Laughs].

Your show regularly addresses issues surrounding hip-hop music and culture.  Considering the recent criticism against hip-hop music’s content, what are your views on the hip-hop debate?

I wish that it [hip-hop] were better, but I don’t care about what words anyone is saying as much as the quality of the work.  I think if you’re an artist and you’re putting out work you believe in, then that naturally solves the content problems that we talk about.

For example, positive music can also suck.  So to me the most important thing is creating good art.  I get mad when I hear rappers that can’t rap or producers that can’t make beats [Laughs]. 

What people are saying is what they’re always going to say.  So I think that it’s easy to scapegoat the youth, and forget that this language has been part of our community way before rap music.

The Dave Chappelle Show was similarly controversial due to its portrayal of issues concerning the African-American community.  One of Dave Chapelle’s struggles was making sure that his commentary didn’t cross over into the perpetuation of negative stereotypes about the African-American community.  How do you strike that balance in your own work?

I believe that Dave had concerns about the direction of the show, and he was not in a supportive environment where he could work out those concerns.  As creators you’re always thinking does this cross the line?  Is it smart or is it some coon s*%t I’m doing? [Laughs]

You’ve got to be on top of those issues and those questions are natural.  So I feel like its all about your support system and network.  Shows don’t have to end because of this issue when you’re in a supportive environment.

Compared to the early part of your career you have been a lot less outspoken on political issues outside of your show.  Why have you recently shied away from sharing your political views?

I decided that I needed to put all of my views in my work and stop running around  saying things.  That’s not funny.  Anyone can have an opinion so what makes mine any different?

Despite you being less outspoken outside of your show, there are still some people that look at you as a political leader, which is unique for someone in your field.  Why do you think that some people wish to place that title upon you?

 I think it is due to the void and vacuum that exists in black leadership that would make anybody want to elevate me to that status.

You once stated early in your career that you never felt accepted by the world of cartoonists.  Now that you are in television do you feel a greater acceptance?

That’s an interesting question.  I said those comments when I was a year into my career, and cartoonists are an odd bunch.  The strip was shocking to the world of comics, and a bunch of seventy and eighty year old white dudes were not sure what to make of it.

In television, I don’t know if there’s a community that I have been accepted into, but I do think the show has been well-received.  I think it’s been well-respected, and the Peabody Award was a nice recognition.  So I feel like we did a good show last year.

Did the show play a factor in your decision to end the comic strip?

I do think that the show played a factor in me walking away from the strip because I tried to do both and it took a huge toll on me.  I constantly play with the idea of doing an online or wireless strip.  It’s something that I think could happen.  Whether it happens after the show or while the show is running depends on how many hours I can go without sleep.

Would you consider placing the comic strip in newspapers again?

No, because I can’t meet their schedules.  Seven days a week is just too much and they make you do all or nothing.  I could perhaps do a weekly strip but it would need to be under my terms. 

Looking back are there any strips or television episodes that you regret or wish to clarify?

No.  Instead, I look back and say, “That scene looks terrible I wish it could have been drawn better.”  However, I don’t look back on the writing and regret any jokes.