-
The Schedule for Aretha Franklin’s Funeral Is the Most Optimistic Schedule I’ve Ever Seen in My Entire Black Funeral Life
They gon’ lay Aretha Franklin’s burdens down in Detroit on Friday, Aug. 31. And it’s going to happen in tremendous fashion. Her body has already seen outfit changes fit for a woman whose fashion stylings were as much a part of her charm as her take-no-prisoners attitude about the industry. Queen Aretha is being sent…
-
9 Things I Learned (and One Thing I Didn't) From Robert Townsend's Fun and Informative Documentary, The Making of The Five Heartbeats
On Monday night, I went to check out the documentary dedicated to the creation of the classic Robert Townsend movie The Five Heartbeats. Full disclosure: The Five Heartbeats is my second-favorite movie of all time. Coming to America currently occupies that No. 1 slot, but it’s really more like 1 and 1a. I own The Five…
-
Let's Talk About Lauryn Hill's Essay Where She Addresses Everything and Nothing at the Same Damn Time
Ms. Lauryn Hill decided to share some thoughts on all of the talk surrounding her late shows and many of the very pointed and incendiary comments and opinions shared by Robert Glasper earlier this month. Like most folks, I’m a fan of ’90s Lauryn, or Ms. Hill as she prefers to be called (more on…
-
Dear Everybody Involved With Creating Last Night’s Episode of Power, THANK YOU! Here’s My Night in GIFs
I was going to write a whole-ass, spoiler-free post to share my glee at last night’s episode of Power. If you’ll remember, way back yonder, I wrote an article explaining why I was watching the show this season: Basically, I’m just waiting for everybody to die. I won’t say that anybody died last night. But…
-
We've All Heard Somebody Be Called 'Uncouth,' But Have You Ever Heard Anybody Referred to as Being 'Couth'?
Language is a beautiful thing. For instance, while I know that somewhere between 24 to 98 percent of the people reading this would cringe should I feel compelled to use the word “conversate” in your presence, 100 percent you would know exactly what I was saying should I use the “word.” And I only put…
-
Blacks Are Not a Monolith, But I'll Bet Al Sharpton Misspelling 'Respect' on Live Television Made Every Last One of Us Cringe
On the list of unsolved mysteries I have stored in my brain, one near the top is why Warren G didn’t go back and punch in a bar with the correct spelling of the word “next” in his song “What’s Next.” For whatever reason, the version that went to mastering and to the three million…
-
Yep, That's Right. I Do Not Like Ella Mai's 'Boo'd Up.' Mmhmm. Shonuff. I'm Lying
I’m not saying that I’m out of the loop, but I just found out today that the MTV Video Music Awards were yesterday. I had no idea they were happening, not the slightest inkling. I’m only sharing this because I saw that everybody’s boo, Ella Mai, was nominated for Song of The Summer for her…
-
Am I Being Sensitive? A Discussion About a Business Transaction Gone Wrong
I’ve been saying for years that disrespect, even implied, is the leading cause of death for black men between birth and death. There’s something about the feeling of another man disrespecting you that makes you uneasy, even long after the (potentially perceived) slight took place. This brings me to a situation that occurred on Saturday…
-
Looks Like Tevin Campbell Is Having the Best Week Ever
Timing, as they say, is everything. Aretha Franklin went home to see the King last week and almost as soon as she passed, the discussions about who should (and shouldn’t) be involved in any tributes to and for the Queen started on the social medias. Discussions were started about who should play her in a…
-
The Realness Podcast Tells the Story of Mobb Deep's Prodigy Through His Struggle With Sickle Cell Anemia and 'Keeps It Thoro'
If there’s a podcast out there with a hip-hop lean to it, there’s a better than 98 percent chance that I will give it a listen. Whether it’s an interview-centric show like Drink Champs or Questlove Supreme or a show that takes a look at the life of a person of interest in the hip-hop…
