culture
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Watch: Jay Ellis and Yvonne Orji of Insecure Talk About That Infamous ‘Best Buy Polo’ Scene
It was the swinging hanger heard around the world. I remember it like it was yesterday … Issa Rae’s character Issa in Insecure rushed back home to Inglewood, Calif., to reconnect with her estranged (and fresh) ex Lawrence (played by Jay Ellis), only to find that he wasn’t there and he’d left something for her:…
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Say What? In Defense of Mumble Rap
With the release of 4:44, Jay-Z seems to have single-handedly grown rap up. Despite the fact that hip-hop is damn near 40 years old, Jigga’s newest release has many arguing that hip-hop has finally reached its nonironic-dad-hat phase. I would argue that Jigga did this years before with his 2006 release, Kingdom Come, which was…
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2017 Wypipo Tournament, Round 2: A Few ‘Dark’ Horses Among the Blackfaces in the Round of 32
Round 1 of our tournament is officially in the books, and now we are in the second round of the 2017 World Wypipo Tournament, sponsored by Caucasian Farms Potato Salad—whose ingredients are simple and fresh (it’s just mayonnaise and white potatoes). Please remember, this competition has nothing to do with white people. It is for…
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In George Romero’s ‘Dead’ Horror Films, a Black Man Could Be a Hero
The first time I saw—really saw—George Romero’s classic 1968 film Night of the Living Dead was in a college horror-film class. The class was rumored to be a “gut”—little to no reading, no exams. Just write a couple of papers and get an easy A, people claimed. It was anything but. The professor took his…
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Why Michael Vick—Who Killed Dogs—Should Have Nothing to Say to Colin Kaepernick, Who Stands Up for Black People Being Killed Like Dogs
Updated Tuesday, July 18, 2017, 1 p.m. EDT: Colin Kaepernick appears to have responded to Michael Vick’s words with a simple tweet entitled “Stockholm Syndrome.” Earlier: I don’t know why Michael Vick would think that he is in any position to tell anybody how to rehab his image, but the convicted dogfighter and gambling-ring operator…
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We Need to Talk About This R. Kelly Video Because This Young Woman Clearly Looks Like a Captive
R. Kelly is going to tear the black community down the seam. There are those who believe the R&B singer is guilty of everything he’s ever been accused of, and not because they are haters of his music but because they’ve seen the videotape of a man who looks like R. Kelly and has a…
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For Those Considering Blaxit, I Present to You: Melbourne (Yes, Australia)
There are few places more mystifying to people than Australia. In fact, the only thing more mystifying to non-Australians is a black Australian. After living in Melbourne for 7.5 years, I now have an obsession with surfing, brunch and stand-up comedy and an accent that sounds like it’s been mauled by a Yeti. In other…
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I Was Wrong. His Name Is Doctor Umar Johnson
A little more than a week ago I wrote two scathing articles about Umar Johnson. I called him a charlatan (I think … I call a lot of charlatans “charlatan”). I castigated him for taking people’s money without showing them where it went. I said that there was no evidence he ever tried to buy…
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The Museum of You: The International African American Museum Wants to Personalize African-American History With Its Genealogy Center
Museums can impart a vast amount of information to visitors, sharing with them history, culture, science, art. But what if a museum could personalize your own story, your own background and your own history? That is exactly what the International African American Museum is hoping to do with the launch Tuesday of its Center for…