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True Confessions: I'm Never Saying That Word That Begins With "N" And Ends With "Igga" Again
Do you still say nigga? I do. At some point, we all got the don’t-say-nigga anymore memo. I shredded mine and threw it away. I can’t say that I say the n-word unapologetically. I think it’s wrong. Now, I’m not one of those people who believe that if we don’t want white people to say…
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R. Kelly, Usher, Kevin Hart: I Suspected. But What Was I Supposed to Do?
In the late ’90s, I was working at an urban entertainment magazine. R. Kelly’s career was scorching hot, as it had been since day one, even though by this point the Aaliyah debacle was still on everyone’s mind. Did he really marry her when she was 15? Did R. Kelly have her parents’ permission? The…
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Mobb Deep’s Prodigy and Sickle Cell: What You Need to Know About a Disease That Takes Down the Young
Forty years ago, Albert “Prodigy” Johnson of Mobb Deep, who died Tuesday at age 42, would likely never have had a music career. In 1973, those born with sickle cell disease had a life expectancy of just 14 years. Today that number is as young as 40 and extends to the late 60s. It’s better.…
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The Cosby Trial Reminded Me Why I’ll Never Seek Justice
I have been sexually assaulted twice in my life. Each incident was almost textbook in what we know about how sexual assault usually works. I was younger than my assaulter, and in both instances, he was in a position of power over me. In one instance, we had a relationship prior to the attack, including…
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Blame It on the … Quaaludes? Guilty or Not, Bill Cosby Still Preferred Sex With Intoxicated Women
The drug could be injected, liquefied or taken in tablet form. When combined with alcohol, the effects, including sedation, euphoria and sleep, could be greatly amplified. It was odorless, tasteless and inexpensive. Quaalude, a synthetic depressant, was once quite literally the perfect date-rape drug. Whether or not Bill Cosby is found guilty, his behavior in…
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‘I Am Something That You’ll Never Comprehend’: Defining the Legacy of Prince
I still have a hard time processing the idea that Prince is no longer here. Now, I was never a super fan. I never made a pilgrimage to Paisley Park. I only saw him in concert once. And that was only because my bestie followed Prince around the country and insisted that I see him…
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VH1’s The Breaks Holds Up a Mirror to the Early Days of Hip-Hop
In the late ’90s, I went to a meeting at one of the biggest record labels. I was scheduled to do a quick interview with the president. I knocked on his door and he waved me in. Then he sized me up and fixated on my navy-blue messenger bag with the Rawkus Records logo stitched…
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Meet the Creator of the Women Over 40 Be Like Video Series
It took a two-minute video for stand-up comedian Tyree Elaine to capture the hearts of women everywhere. Her three-part video series, Women Over 40 Be Like, took off because of her spot-on impersonation of women in the I’m-doing-me stage of life. Within three days, Elaine’s videos had racked up over 2 million views and thousands…
