Lexi Allen, also known by her mononym Lexi, is an American gospel singer and actress from Ohio. She has played a prominent role in the African-American church broadcasting network The Word Network, on which she has conducted The Lexi Show for many years. Lexi has recorded several albums with Real Deal Records, a recording label established by boxing champion Evander Holyfield, and several of her songs have reached the gospel music charts. Lexi has produced a number of comedy videos and video series on her YouTube channel, sending up well-known TV shows, popular culture, African American culture, and the church.
Lexi's work includes examples of the following tropes:
- Acronym and Abbreviation Overload: The whole point of "The Text Song", in which Lexi's lyrics consist mostly of common chat acronyms, punctuated by brief interjections from DW Bass on the other end of the phone line.
- Affectionate Parody: Ghetto Bewitched of Bewitched, and Holy Ghost Enforcers and White Church Vs. Black Church of church culture in general. Almost all of her videos are examples of this trope.
- Always Someone Better: Saqueesha is a powerful witch, but her sister Suga is more powerful still, as well as being considerably less fettered by scruples.
- Big Eater: Lexi portrays one in a number of her videos about things black people say at a wedding, at a funeral etc.
- Black-and-White Insanity: Mother Walker from Holy Ghost Enforcers seems to operate in this mode, in an extreme parody of the views held by some of those in the church.
- Black Comedy: "The Devil Just Might Kill You in Your Sleep", from the Holy Ghost Enforcers episode "Choir Auditions". Incidentally this is the only number to win Mother Walker's approval.
- Black Speech: At the end of "Men's Day" from Holy Ghost Enforcers, a livid Mother Walker, who has had a fight with Mother Turner and who has been speaking in tongues regularly, now sounds more like she is uttering demonic curses.
- Blatant Lies: In "Choir Auditions" from Holy Ghost Enforcers, Mother Walker promises not to interfere with Twan's presiding over the choir auditions. She proceeds to interrupt all the singers very quickly to express her disapproval of their choices of song.
- Brutal Honesty: Sister Jaela Butler in White Church Vs. Black Church, creating a comedic contrast to her white, love-and-light counterpart Amber.
- Camp Gay: Twan is an exaggerated example.
- Catchphrase: "I caaaant". Used by Lexi herself, as well as her character Saqueesha in Ghetto Bewitched. Lexi even made I Can't the name of a video series in which she personally responds to (and often mocks) user comments on her YouTube videos.
- "He's amaaayzing." from Lexi's white character Amber in White Church Vs. Black Church
- And from Things Black Folks Say at Weddings: "I got two words for that dress: (insert two words, or a two syllable word here). I'm done. I ain't gonna talk about it no more." (repeat line with another variation)
- Celebrity Paradox: Lexi herself exists in the world of Holy Ghost Enforcers, because she is criticized several times by Mother Walker. It is not mentioned, however, whether this fictionalized Lexi is doing all the things that the real life Lexi does, including portraying Mother Walker on video...
- Could Say It, But...: In the second episode of I Can't, one comment Lexi responds to is a request to "please give me a shout-out". Her attempts to mention the commenter's name are covered with a censor beep, and she is told from the next room that she is not allowed to give free shout-outs. However, the shout-out was effectively achieved because she did already mention the name uncensored before reading the comment.
- Damned By a Fool's Praise: Lexi subjects Prophet Brian Carn to this at the hands of Mother Walker in "Everything Prophet Brian Carn Says Is The Truth". Mother Walker goes as far as firing Twan from men's ministry for refusing to agree with her - although this only appears to be temporary.
- Double Entendre: From Holy Ghost Enforcers: Mother Walker wants Twan to be over the men, and them under him, and wants him to "impart" all that he has into those men.
- And in Things Black Folks Say at Weddings, the woman in violet uses a chocolate-bar based one to make a pass at the married man sitting next to her. He's not very impressed, and neither is his wife.
- Double Standard: In the Holy Ghost Enforcers episode "Choir Auditions", Mother Walker makes ridiculous objections to all the solo auditionees' choices of songs after hearing only one phrase ("That's not a song, that's a shopping list!" or "Burn It All Down? That's arson, that's a crime!" or "Clean This House? My house is already clean!"), suggesting that she has very exacting standards about what a song should be. The one song to earn her enthusiastic approval? "The Devil Just Might Kill You in Your Sleep", which continues: "The devil gonna hold you down; stand on your chest so you can't breathe...", while the middle section contains excerpts such as "Kill, kill, kill!" and "Everybody wanna bang bang", and casually uses the N-word to refer to the devil.
- Felony Misdemeanor: In the first episode of Ghetto Bewitched, Saqueesha's sister's boyfriend refused to pay her $600 light bill, even though they have been together two whole weeks!
- Foil: Sister Jaela Butler and Sister Greta Jackson versus Amber and Chelsea in White Church Vs. Black Church, exaggerating the differences between black and white church women. Both pairs of women are played by Lexi and Pam Henry.
- Forced Transformation: During the first episode of Ghetto Bewitched, Saqueesha turns both her sister's boyfriend and her husband Darrell into teddybears.
- Funny Background Event: Lexi invokes this in the first episode of I Can't, while she is responding to a comment questioning how she can be a Christian witch. She says that it is all in fun; it is not as if lights are going on and off, or brooms are flying, or doors are slamming. All these things happen right behind her as she speaks.
- Gaydar: Mother Walker's mindboggling lack of it is Played for Laughs. Twan is so gay that it hurts, and makes little effort to hide his attraction to men, but Mother Walker never picks up on it.
- Glurge Addict: Amber and Chelsea, representing the white church in White Church Vs. Black Church, fit this to a T. Among other things, Amber believes that the presence of the holy spirit is detectable through the smell of cotton candy, bubblegum, and febreze.
- Gospel Choirs Are Just Better: Some rousing (and ironized) examples in Holy Ghost Enforcers; particularly "The Devil Just Might Kill You in Your Sleep", an extreme parody of certain gospel church numbers. While not a choir, the singing of Sister Butler and Sister Jackson from White Church Vs. Black Church still fits this trope, especially as it is directly pitted against the white church's wispy singing and subdued piano excerpts from Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles".
- Holier Than Thou
- Hot Witch: Both of Lexi's characters, sisters Saqueesha and Suga, in Ghetto Bewitched.
- Housewife: Parodied in Ghetto Bewitched; Saqueesha uses her magic to complete household chores and provide food, much to Darrell's chagrin. She spends the rest of her day putting her feet up, doing her hair and talking on the phone.
- Incompatible Orientation: Mother Walker's niece (also played by Lexi) cites this ("Girl bye! He gay!") in response to the suggestion that she get together with Twan, leading to him being finally outed to her. Pretty soon afterward, however, Mother Walker seems to completely forget about it, allowing the comedy of misunderstandings to continue in other episodes.
- Inconvenient Summons: When Saqueesha's younger sister cries to her over the phone about her boyfriend, Saqueesha teleports him to her house, in the midst of putting on a shirt, to dish out some "justice".
- The Informant: In White Church Vs. Black Church, Lexi's character Sister Jaela Butler talks of her "unsaved" past selling marijuana on the street, and being sent to prison because of one of these. It is implied that she had the informant, um, "eliminated".Sis. Jaela Butler: They can't find her. But snitches get stitches. They can't find. Her. (meaningful look) Because snitches. Get stitches.
- Innocently Insensitive: Some of Lexi's characters are this, particularly the woman in violet in Things Black Folks Say at Weddings, in which she blithely plants herself between a married couple, talks loudly and rapidly to express her opinions about the suitability of the marriage or the bride's dress or shoes (or to shout "Turn down for what?"), eats various snacks and shares them with the people around her, makes a pass at the married man sitting on her right, and seems bewildered when his wife on her left throws her an angry look.Woman in violet: (to wife) Hey, don't get mad at me! I'm complementing him. And when I'm complementing him, I'm complementing you, really, cause you did good.
- Literal-Minded: Saqueesha's younger son Junior in Ghetto Bewitched; when she shouts to him to come downstairs "right now", he teleports downstairs to the table.Saqueesha: Use the stairs! You know your daddy doesn't like that.Junior: But you said "right now"!Saqueesha: (to herself, smiling) That's my baby!
- In the next episode, Saqueesha's older son Michael does something similar.
Saqueesha: Go to your room! (Michael vanishes) I meant walk to your room! - Mama Bear: Saqueesha from Ghetto Bewitched summons her sister's boyfriend and punishes him to make him treat his girlfriend better, all because he wouldn't pay her $600 light bill after being with her two weeks.
- Suga goes into this mode on Saqueesha's behalf in the third episode, to punish Darrell's boss's wife for her snide insults and put-downs of Saqueesha. Unfortunately, this results in Darrell being fired.
- Mistaken for Racist: On the first episode of Lexi's video series I Can't, she singles out a comment criticizing her for pretending to be a white woman in White Church Vs. Black Church, and lampoons it with an exaggerated reaction of despair.
- Mood Whiplash: Repeatedly in White Church Vs. Black Church, as the scene cuts between the saccharine, feel-good white church and the intense, explosive black church.
- In Things Black Folks Say at a Funeral, Lexi switches rather frequently and suddenly between wailing in grief and casually prattling about mundane topics.
- Moral Guardians: Mother Walker is an In-Universe example. She even goes as far as objecting to all of the songs being sung during the choir auditions for ludicrous reasons (the notable exception being the final number, "The Devil Just Might Kill You In Your Sleep".)
- Morton's Fork: Sister Jaela Butler hits Sister Greta Jackson with one during the second part of White Church Vs. Black Church, first criticizing her in a humiliating manner for singing too powerfully, and then saying "Where you at?" when Sister Jackson is more subdued.
- Motor Mouth: Lexi in almost all her videos about things black people say at a wedding, at a wedding reception, at a funeral, out to dinner etc.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Saqueesha's reaction upon seeing the results of Suga's interference in her husband's dinner for his boss.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Several famous figures in the church are parodied in Holy Ghost Enforcers.
- Oh, Crap!: Mother Turner when she silently catches on to Twan's sexuality during his conversation with Mother Walker in "Men's Ministry: The Movie" from Holy Ghost Enforcers. Her traumatized reaction causes the oblivious Mother Walker to ask if she has taken her meds.
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations: The Holy Ghost Enforcers episode "Men's Ministry: The Movie" involves a hilarious one between Mother Walker and Twan. She has no idea what he is talking about when he has doubts about his intended marriage being legal, and prays that God will move on the legislation.
- Race Lift: Ghetto Bewitched is Lexi's imagining of how the premise of Bewitched would be with African-Americans.
- Self-Deprecation: Lexi's character Mother Walker criticises Lexi for being unsaved and not wearing a girdle; Mother Walker also slams Lexi's song "Burn it All Down" when it is sung during the Holy Ghost Enforcers episode "Choir Auditions".
- Silent Snarker: Both the husband and wife separated by the woman in violet in Things Black Folks Say at Weddings let their faces do the talking.
- Slut-Shaming: Mother Walker firmly believes that any woman who does not wear a girdle and a good brazier is to blame for any men around her "falling into sexual sin".
- Spoiled Brat: The child of the white parents in White Parents Vs. Black Parents.
- Sugar Bowl: Lexi's portrayal of the white church in White Church Vs. Black Church, in which she acts as a perpetually smiling young white woman who keeps gushing about how she loves the "amaaayzing" Lord, and attributes to him the smell of cotton candy, bubble-gum and febreze.
- Summon Magic: Saqueesha does this repeatedly in Ghetto Bewitched, summoning a series of different commercial dinners for Darrell, to his annoyance because he disapproves of magic. Both Saqueesha's sons also engage in it: Junior summons a fast food box for himself, which he is forced to change back when his mother summons a whip and stares him down, and Michael summons himself a new pair of shoes and a smart shirt, which angers Saqueesha, especially when he cannot send them back to where they came from. She then has to explain to him that she cannot do his magic for him.
- Take That, Critics!: To some degree, Lexi injects some snark into her responses to almost all of the YouTube comments she responds to in her video series I Can't. However, the authors of negative comments - sometimes mere put-downs - naturally receive the harshest mockery. In some cases, she points out the critics' lack of subscribers, quality videos, profile pictures etc. on their own YouTube channels to show that they have no credibility.
- Talk Show: The Lexi Show, a long running series hosted by The Word Network, in which Lexi interviews a diverse range of famous figures connected in some way to the African-American church.
- Teleportation: In Ghetto Bewitched, both of Saqueesha's sons do this, to her chagrin. In the third episode, Suga does this to swap herself and Saqueesha to each other's location, so that she can take revenge on the woman who incessantly insults Saqueesha.
- Third Wheel: The woman in the violet dress, played by Lexi, plants herself between a husband and wife in Things Black Folks Say at Weddings, and proceeds to obliviously cause huge amounts of awkwardness.
- Those Two Guys: The two young men sitting behind the woman in violet in Things Black Folks Say at Weddings, who do not speak but are visibly highly amused at her outrageous antics.
- Trrrilling Rrrs: Suga seems fond of talking this way while she's in conversation with Saqueesha in Ghetto Bewitched. Lampshaded by Saqueesha.
- Truth Serum: In the third episode of Ghetto Bewitched, Suga magically administers some to Darrell's boss's obnoxious wife, with disastrous results. She makes numerous humiliating jibes about her husband and hits on Darrell, resulting in him being fired on the spot.
- Uncanny Valley Makeup: The woman in violet's make-up in Things Black Folks Say at Weddings is tending in this direction.Woman in violet: I put on this make-up, baby: blending, blending, blending, blending; it's all about blending.
- Verbal Tic: Mother Walker's epynomous mid-sentence exclamations of "Holy Ghosssst!" in Holy Ghost Enforcers.
- White Dude, Black Dude: Numerous videos and video series from Lexi run on this trope, such as White Church Vs. Black Church, White Parents Vs. Black Parents, White People Vs. Black People Psych Evaluation. In each case she lampoons both the white and black versions with a highly stereotypical portrayal, with the differences between them exaggerated.
- White Like Me: Lexi, Pam Henry and DW Bass make themselves up as white people in White Church Vs. Black Church, White Parents Vs. Black Parents and White People Vs. Black People Psych Evaluation.
