In this talk, I explore labor narratives and imaginaries of Black masculinity to explore how racialized ideals of manhood shifted in response to changing capitalist regimes. Complemented by an analysis of Black masculinity vis-à-vis capitalist processes of production, consumption, and commodification, I examine colonialism to the period known as la crise (the crisis) as a narrative arc in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. I draw on my fieldwork examining the livelihoods and lifestyles of underemployed Abidjanais men to illuminate the sustained power of imaginaries even while capitalism affords a deficit of real opportunities.