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Is 'Return of the Mack' the Greatest Song Ever? A Debate With The Root's Shanelle Genai, Who Disagrees (She's Wrong), on Pass the Peas With Panama Jackson
On March 18, 2021, Mark Morrison’s “Return of The Mack” reached its 25th birthday. To commemorate this accoladational (Editor’s note: this is not a word) achievement for this song that really is the best song ever, I shared an article I wrote in 2017 stating as much, titled “Return of The Mack” Is The Best…
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I Think My Kids Tried to End Me (Again) Yesterday: Another Requiem
I have four children—a daughter and three boys. My daughter is 12 and the youngest boy is almost 6 months old. The two in the middle are 6 and 4; the 4-year-old will turn 5 in May. They are a duo of precocious little scamps. They play all day long, turning various rooms in our…
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An Ode to My Favorite Poem of All Time—From the Movie Trippin'—Whose Title I Can't Put Here Because It's Profane
Y’all really don’t talk about the movie Trippin’ enough. Released in 1999 and starring everybody’s favorite next-door neighbor, Bud—Deon Richmond—and Maia Campbell, Trippin’ is one of those movies that never gets old, is always fun and seems to get absolutely no flowers, and I have no idea why. Richmond plays Greg Reed, an unambitious high…
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Can We All Agree That SWV's 'You're The One' Is a First Ballot Hall of Fame Cheat Jam?
Ever since the SWV versus Xscape Verzuz was announced, my soul has been awash with joy and good tidings and cheer. I love SWV. I’m an SWV-stan. An SWV-apologist. I’m an SWV-superfan. I love Coko’s singing and will fight with anybody about her place in the pantheon of R&B singers. She’s in my top 10…
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Derrick Jaxn and Co. Are Living Proof That When STFU Is An Option, It Should Be Strongly Considered
Up until last week, I had a very vague knowledge of Derrick Jaxn. I’d heard his name of course. He and a slew of other chaps’ names are often bandied about when it comes to relationship “gurus;” their videos in cars and places are often shared all over the social medias. In my neck of…
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An Argument for Creative Source's 'I'd Find You Anywhere' As The Greatest Stalker Jam of All Time
Do you know what song you know but maybe don’t know that you know? I’m glad you asked: Creative Source’s “I’d Find You Anywhere,” released in 1976 on the group’s final album, Consider The Source. Hip-hop fans know it because it’s been sampled by more than a few artists; The Game’s song “Wouldn’t Get Far”…
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Introducing Pass The Peas With Panama Jackson, a New Podcast Brought to You by Very Smart Brothas and The Root
Hey, Young World! I’d like to introduce you to a new(ish) podcast brought to you by Very Smart Brothas and The Root, Pass The Peas, hosted by VSB co-founder, Panama Jackson. That’s me. Enough of the third person. Check back in here every Friday for a brand new episode about something or other but always…
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I Miss My Imagination
One of the funnest things to do as a parent is to simply watch your kids. Over the course of every single day (and when I’m not trying to make sure they’re not about to break something or each other) I find myself watching how two of my sons play. One of my sons, in…
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2 Giraffes—1 Adorably Named Waffles—Died in a Zoo Fire and Man, That's Some Sad Ass News
Last summer, in a never-ending attempt to find things for our kids to do that were as safe as possible and also as avoidant of other people as possible, my wife happened upon a petting zoo in Reston, Va., called Roer’s Zoofari. It is about 45 minutes to an hour from my house depending on…
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Dear New Sneaker People, Just Because You Usually Wear a Certain Size Doesn't Mean You Always Wear That Size
It’s been documented here before, but the onset of the coronavirus over a year ago seems to have turned everybody and their mothers into sneakerheads (and ultimately rendering most of us winless at the SNKRS app sweepstakes). And while the sneaker culture (and folks attempting to become resellers; good morning to everybody except the Hebert…
