Jay-Z

  • Black Lives Matter Abroad, Too

    Scant Coverage for 3,300 Killed in Congo Anger at System After Release of Dash-Cam Video JAY-Z Keeps Copy Editors on Their Toes Media Win; Judge Releases Names of Cosby Jurors Pimentel Is Editorial Page Editor in San Antonio Mexican Journalists Say Their Phones Spy on Them ‘A Queer Black Woman’ Saved Conservative’s Life TV Chooses…

  • 17 Wishes for 2017

    If I squint with my good eye and drink something potent out of a red Solo cup, 2016 doesn’t seem so bad—from an entertainment perspective, anyway. So, as we move forward into the new year, here are some things I’d very much like to see. That is to say, if 2017 doesn’t end early because…

  • I Dont Know How I'm Supposed To Feel About Kanye

    This piece started off quite differently. You see, after years of skating around the margins of the sentiment, I’d finally leaned into full-on “Fuck Kanye West” mode. It followed years of annoyance at his trend of constantly obnoxious and solipsistic behavior. Even his admission during a recent concert that he didn’t vote at all Nov. 8 but…

  • Hip-Hop’s Best Year Ever Can Almost Buy You A Drink

    It should come as no surprise to most of you that I wasn’t the most popular kid in high school. During my 1995 – 1996 freshman year, I endured an awkward post-pubescent, pre-growth-spurt phase that had me looking like the love child of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man and Associate Bob from Demolition Man. Making matters…

  • How To Get Jay Z To Stop Threatening Us With New Music

    For the past two years, malicious rumors of a Beyonce/Jay Z joint album have terrorized us on the internet. Vague ‘sources’ have been quoted everywhere from Rap Up to Vanity Fair, claiming that the cursed release is set to have a surprise stream on Tidal. This is a particularly harmful threat to a long time…

  • Will There Ever Be A Lemonade Moment For Black Men? (If So, Who Will Create It?)

    Last Thursday, I sat on a panel at The New School with Jamilah Lemieux, Johnetta Elzie, Terrell Starr, and Chris Witherspoon to talk about how new media affects and informs social activism, art, journalism, writing, and our understanding of what it means to be Black. Oh, and Lemonade. We definitely talked a lot about Lemonade. Because it…

  • 10 Thoughts About Beyoncé and Her “Lemonade”

    Unless you literally live under a rock – there’s a good chance that those who live in caves are up on game, MetroPCS is out here winning – you are either aware, have seen, or have had at least two lengthy conversations about Beyonce’s visual album, Lemonade, that debuted on HBO on Saturday night, complete…

  • Beyonce's 10 Greatest Beyonces Of All-Time

    We first met Beyonce as Teenaged Beyonce — a member of the preternaturally talented and peculiarly attired Destiny’s Child. And now, she’s firmly ensconced into Grown-Ass Beyonce. Or, if you prefer, Capricorn Cabaret Beyonce. Or perhaps even “Who’s The Thick Aunt In The Stands With The Shades And The Cooler At Soccer Practice? She’s Fine As Hell.…

  • Aliya S. King’s True Hip-Hop Stories: That Time Jay-Z Clowned Me For An Entire Summer

    When I was working at The Source, I was freelancing on the side for a few mainstream publications. I couldn’t write for VIBE or XXL of course. But I would quietly write about rock bands for Seventeen and Teen People occasionally.I ended up writing regularly for Teen People and I became a go-to writer for…

  • There Are Many Perfectly Valid Reasons To Hate Jay Z. Tidal, However, Isn't One Of Them

    1. As a young man, Jay Z spent an indeterminate amount of time dealing crack cocaine in the neighborhood he grew up in. 2. He was so good at dealing crack that he managed to make a small fortune from it and elude any serious legal consequences. 3. He left selling crack behind completely, instead…