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The 10 Blackest Moments of 2017, Ranked
2017 has been a motherfucker of a year. Despite this fact, blackness has flourished. We’ve seen a resurgence of pride and excitement in blackness that is reminiscent of the Black Power movement of the ’60s. From #BlackGirlMagic to #BlackBoyJoy, Dead Mike from mythical rap group CB4 is outchea looking like a damn prophet as so…
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The Golden Child Is One of the Most Awesome Terrible Movies Ever
Because God or whomever you pray to clearly has a sense of humor, The Golden Child comes on network television and cable way more often than it should. The movie, released in 1986, is the story of Chandler Jarrell, played by a super-bankable ’80s Eddie Murphy, who is dubbed the “Chosen One” to save a…
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Revisiting Dr. Dre’s The Chronic 25 Years Later
There are a few albums in my life that have held pivotal roles: De La Soul’s De La Soul Is Dead, A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders, N.W.A.’s EFIL4ZAGGIN and Outkast’s Aquemini, to name a few. Another of those pivotal albums, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, was released on Dec. 15, 1992, exactly 25 years ago…
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Why Does the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Keep Snubbing LL Cool J?
Perhaps there are bigger fish to fry. Racism is still alive; they just be concealing it, after all. Or more likely, I’m dazed by the fact that Alabama did the unthinkable, entirely thanks to black people, so I’m feeling greedy. Yo no sé. But the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame recently announced its 2018…
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Watch: VSB and The Root Conduct ‘Operation Find Black Santa’
If you’re a parent of color, Christmastime may present a conundrum of sorts. You want to engage with Christmas traditions, such as Santa Claus, but you’d love nothing more than for Santa to look like your family. Esteem Gang Gang Gang. We at VSB feel the same way. We heard a story, passed down from…
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My Significant Other Made Up an Elaborate Backstory to Steal My Shirt
The following words were approved by my household. My life is a fun one. I’ve got awesome children, and my home is full of love and often the smell of the holidays and gingerbread houses because my woman has somehow decided that boiling (and forgetting to turn off the eye until it’s too late—I spend…
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Where Were You When You Found Out Singer Bobby Caldwell Was White?
Every so often on Facebook, like every few months, I like to do a “Bobby Caldwell is white” check. What’s that? Well, it’s where I randomly toss out “Hey, did you know Bobby Caldwell is white?” and like clockwork there is ALWAYS some group of black folks who, at that moment, learn the truth that…
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Um, Jagged Edge, What the Hell Was That? DC Is Not Pleased
It’s amazing how quickly something can go from awesome to WTF, but last night during the Silver Spring, Md., stop of Jagged Edge’s tour, they leveled that shit all the way up, leaving an entire crowd both dumbfounded and pissed and their Twitter mentions deservedly in shambles. I’m a JE fan. Anybody who knows me…
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What Song Best Represents the ‘Bad Boy’ Era? Take That, Take That
Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad Booooooooooooooooy! When Puffy hit the scene with Bad Boy in 1994 and Craig Mack’s “Flava in Ya Ear,” everything changed. For the rest of the decade, backed by seminal releases and singles from Biggie, Puff, the Lox, 112, Faith, Mase and even peripheral acts like Lil’ Kim (only because she wasn’t on Bad Boy)…
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Being an Advocate for My Child Is One of the Most Important Lessons I’ve Learned as a Parent
Children are tons of fun. Sure, they’re a lot of work, too, but you get used to that, and pretty soon the work is just part of life. On a daily basis you get to marvel and laugh at the new discoveries of infants and toddlers, the smarts and progress of your preteens, and, from…
