Search results for: “quotemedia/f”
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Is the Woman Who Inspired Beloved My Ancestor?
Could it be that I am descended from Margaret Garner, the real-life inspiration for the main character in Toni Morrison’s book Beloved? Born in 1834 in Boone County, Ky., Garner was an escaped slave who attempted to murder her four children rather than allow them to be captured and returned to slavery. In 1856, Garner and her…
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Lil Wayne Is an Underappreciated Rap Legend
Seventeen years ago this week, Juvenile released “Back That Azz Up” (or “Back That Thang Up,” if you were a baby trying to make babies on the dance floor of a high school gymnasium). The descending chords in the intro cause an immediate Pavlovian response. Men crane their necks like gazelles hearing a rustle in…
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Charges Dropped Against 5 Teens in Alleged NYC Park Gang Rape
Five Brooklyn, N.Y., teens accused of raping an 18-year-old woman last month at gunpoint in a New York park have had the charges against them dismissed after prosecutors say the young woman recanted her story. In addition, prosecutors say, the story the teen boys told police when they were arrested—that the young lady’s father had…
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The People v. O.J. Simpson Recap: It’s a Black Thing
The John Singleton-directed episode of The People v. O.J. Simpson begins with O.J. in jail, reminiscing about being at the club, which included Soul Train lines, excessive pelvis thrusting and lots of coke. Across town at O.J. lawyer Robert Shapiro’s office, the attorneys are eating lox and whitefish on O.J.’s dime. Shapiro starts the meeting…
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Consent, Explained, for People Who Still Don’t Get It
Who is Rev. Run? And who is Tyrese? Rev. Run is a hip-hop legend who’s made a second career out of disseminating homespun, succinct and alliterative aphorisms that manage to sound 17 times wittier and wiser than they actually are. He’s basically the working-class man’s Steve Harvey. And Tyrese? Well, Tyrese is a man with an…
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MTV UK Renames Cornrows ‘Boxer Braids’ … Because Appropriation
You know what? People need to learn how to pay homage or not talk about a hairstyle at all. For the record, Kim Kardashian is not the first chick to rock cornrows. And what the f—k is a “boxer braid”? Once again, a mainstream outlet—MTV UK—tried it and felt the need to appropriate something that…
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I Miss the Old Kanye
Kanye’s latest album, The Life of Pablo, has been reviewed and discussed at length in the almost week since it was made available via Tidal, and not always for good reasons. The music is super well produced, and the featured artists all add wonderful layers to what is a pretty schizophrenic project. The music is…
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Move Over, Bond; We Got Idris Elba in Bastille Day
Last year, there was hoopla over whether Idris Elba would become the first black James Bond. Whereas most of us were giving a resounding “Yassssssss,” there were others who wanted to keep Bond white. Then those who were going “Yassssssss” were immediately like, “F—k a Bond movie; Idris needs his own action film.” Boom. And…
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Kanye West’s SNL ‘Meltdown’ Happened After Unexpected Set Changes
Over the weekend, Kanye West performed on Saturday Night Live, but it’s what happened before his performance that’s getting a lot of attention. Apparently, West had a “meltdown” before his performance after noticing set changes were made. His rant was leaked online Wednesday, and his team is already firing back. The New York Post’s Page Six reported that West…
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Kendrick Lamar Is Not Who Kanye West Could Have Been
It’s Wednesday, two days removed from the Grammy Awards. Yet much of America—black America, specifically—is still recovering from the hangover induced by Kendrick Lamar’s sublime performance Monday night. His explosive mashup of “The Blacker the Berry,” “Alright” and a yet-to-be-titled new track referencing Trayvon Martin was equal parts brilliant, bold, ebullient, boiling and unapologetically black.…