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Bill Cosby Wasn’t ‘Publicly Lynched’; He Hanged Himself
Just hours after Bill Cosby was found guilty of three counts of aggravated indecent assault, his publicists were busy making the media rounds. Publicist Andrew Wyatt called his recent guilty verdict a “public lynching,” and publicist Ebonee Benson invoked the story of Emmett Till—whose accuser, Carolyn Bryant Donham, admitted that she lied, which resulted in…
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Life Comes at You Fast and Your Faves Are Probably All Trash
When I woke up this morning, I planned on writing about (actually, I did write about) what was probably going through Nas’ mind as Kanye continued to go on his alienate-the-black-community Twitter spree. With albums set to release in June by Nas, Cudi, Pusha T and Teyana Taylor, I figured that none of them could…
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Hey VSB Commenters, Reclaim Your Time and Your Comments (From Disqus)!
If you were a commenter on Very Smart Brothas before the switch to Kinja, this is your chance to reassociate all your old comments from Disqus with your new Kinja account. Just follow these steps: Go to kinja.com/claim. Click the “Claim With Disqus” button. Log in to the Disqus account used to comment on Very…
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At One Point, My Career Goal Was to Be a Backup Dancer for Usher
It was a clear, dark night, a clear, white moon. I was born by the river, in a little tent. About 15 years later, I remember seeing a video for “Can U Get Wit It” by the oldest-acting teenager of all time. Yes, that teenager would be Usher Raymond, under the tutelage of Sean “Puffy”…
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Rashaun Williams Is a Venture Capitalist Who Gives the Game Away for Free; Have a Seat and Learn Something
Rashaun Williams is a recovering investment banker and current venture capitalist. He worked at Goldman Sachs and other firms for 13 years before moving to the West Coast to get into the tech world. He is a general partner at Manhattan Venture Partners’ All-Star Fund, a late-stage tech company focused on investing in unicorns like…
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What Does Your Favorite Artist Have to Do to Lose Your Support?
Me and you, your mama and your cousin, too, still know people who support R. Kelly. Despite everything that we now (allegedly) know, there are still people who refuse to believe that he’s done or is capable of doing what he’s been accused of. Even though the vast majority of black folks believe that the…
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Nude Gunman Kills 4 at Waffle House in Tennessee; Still on the Run: Police
Police in Tennessee say they are on the hunt for a man named Travis Reinking in the killing of four people at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tenn., early Sunday morning. Authorities say that Reinking, 29, of Illinois, allegedly killed two people outside the restaurant and shot and killed two more, including a cook, inside…
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Beyoncé Fan Site to Release Live Album of Coachella Performance so We Can Be Slayed on Repeat
Updated Sunday, April 22, 2018, 12:41 p.m. EDT: According to Beyoncé Enforcer, the fan site will not be releasing the album. It was asked by Sony Music Entertainment not to release it and will comply. Earlier: Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is a problem. She’s kicked asses and taken names and come for your wigs, wallets and…
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Colin Kaepernick Speaks Truth to Power, Refers to Police Killings of People of Color as ‘Lawful Lynchings’
Colin Kaepernick (you may have heard of him) recently received the 2018 Ambassador of Conscience Award from Amnesty International. The ceremony was held Saturday night in Amsterdam. During his speech, Kaepernick called it like we all see it, referring to the police killings of black and brown people as “lawful lynchings.” Kaepernick, who has been…
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Trump Considers ‘Full Pardon’ of Boxer Jack Johnson After Sylvester Stallone Phone Call; Call Him Again, Sly
Listen, if all it takes is a phone call from a famous person to get things done in Washington, D.C., can we hand some talking points and PowerPoint slides to celebrities with common sense? According to your president and his Twitter fingers, Sylvester Stallone called him and shared with him the story of early-20th-century heavyweight…
