pop culture
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Lessons In Blackness From Yale University's Black Solidarity Conference
(This will be long and yes, that is what she said. There’s a lot to unpack in these words. Grab a seat and come along for the ride. Also, keep in mind, I’m an HBCU graduate so my perspective is rooted in that fact. Perspective is everything.) This past weekend, Damon and I had the…
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An Ode To SWV
I grew up in Frankfurt, Germany, as a military brat in the mid-’80s and early ’90s. Those of us who grew up overseas had one channel to watch on television: AFN, which stands for the Armed Forces Network. We all watched the same cartoons, the same soap operas (General Hospital was followed by Guiding Light), and the…
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Things As "African" As Meryl Streep And Bill Clinton Are All Of A Sudden Claiming To Be
Sometime during an international film festival, in response to an inquiry about a quite caucasian jury being able to evaluate and understand North African films, Meryl Streep decided to go full hotep and inform us that “we’re all Africans really.” That clink you hear is the sound of Lady Meryl officially falling off the list of…
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"The Life Of Pablo," Reviewed, By Someone Who Cannot Be Objective About Kanye West
So, let’s get three things out of the way first: 1. The Life of Pablo was made available to stream on Tidal early Sunday morning. It, apparently, will not officially be for sale for another week. By the time you read this, it will be (at the earliest) Monday afternoon. Between then and now, I’ve listened…
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Underrated Moment in Black History: When Bobby & Whitney Set The Bar for Black Love
After “who made the potato salad” and “what had happened was”, Black love is one of the most ubiquitous topics of discussion within 21st century Negronia. Over the years, there have been many couples that come to mind that have embodied the concept – Cliff and Claire Huxtable, Denzel and Pauletta, Cam and Juju, Oscar…
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Why We Need To Raise the Minimum Wage To $15
“Anyone who has struggled with poverty knows how extremely expensive it is to be poor.” — James Baldwin I’m not poor, but I’m not rich; according to my W2, I’m middle-class. I’ve never had sleep for dinner, but I’m very familiar with poverty because I’ve witnessed it firsthand. In my neighborhood, nobody was “fly on your eyeball,…
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5 Reasons Maurice White Stayed Winnin'
By now you’ve heard that musical impresario Maurice White, 74, has gone on to the great “Boogie Wonderland” in the sky. Damn, damn, damn—I’ve been breaking crystal punch bowls all week! White was the iconic co-founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, the premier live funk band for, like, 89 summers. And if you’re over 30,…
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A Primer On Bitchassness Courtesy of Love & Hip Hop New York
On Monday nights, VH1 broadcasts Love & Hip Hop New York (LHHNY) bringing to us the shenanigans of a beloved group of super-villains, all of whom are on the “cusp” of fame and dangling their legs off of the cliff of notoriety. If you were to tell me that you hate everybody on that show,…
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The Agony Of Being A Kanye West Fan In 2016
“You hear about Kanye?” You see the message flash across your phone, and your heart jumps. And then stops. Then jumps. Then stops. Your heart becomes Zach Lavine. Your mind races. “What did he do this time?” you think. You hope perhaps he said something inane but innocuous. Maybe something about dolphins. Yes, that’s it.…