race & politics
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Thug Kitchen's Brand Of Technicolor Blackness
Since I’m not a foodie (Popeye’s, anyone?) I don’t know that I’ve given Thug Kitchen enough consideration to really think about the once-anonymous creators of the blog and its screwball blend of profanity, hoodisms, and quinoa. I suppose that passively, I believed that Thug Kitchen was created by some shea butter slathering, Trader Joe’s reusable…
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The 25 Best Booties Not Named On The Original List Of The 25 Best Booties
Like Vogue, the New York Times has apparently caught booty fever. They think booty is their ally. But, while they merely adapted to booty fever, we were born in it. Molded by it. Again, we’ve always appreciated booty. We’ve been in booty’s corner for as long as booty existed. To us, there’s no better place…
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Facts About Blacks: The Concert I Just Attended Edition
Here at VSB, we spend a lot of time discussing Blackness. Today will be no different. I had the pleasure of attending a concert headlined by SWV (easily one of my favorite groups of all time) and undercarded by both Erica Campbell (of Mary Mary fame) and Traci Braxton (of every other Braxton aside from…
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The Definitive List Of The 20 Best Times To Be Black
20. When you want to go on a cruise to the Bahamas and get discount conch 19. When you have a baby and you really, really, really want to name her Keisha 18. When you want to grow a beard and not have everyone think you’re a gotdamn hipster 17. When you want to date…
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Actress Arrested For…Kissing While Black
Keeping score, we have documented proof that the following are legal offenses: Driving while Black. Walking while Black. Waiting while Black. Going home while Black. Sitting while Black. Losing your keys while Black. Being near a White Person while Black. Now, after Daniele Watts — a young actress who made her film debut in Django…
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The Whitest Thing We've Seen This Week: The Palin Family Snow Mobile Party Brawl
We’re equal opportunity assholes at VSB. So while we’ll continue to recognize lovely examples of peak Blackness, peak Whiteness deserves some love as well. And this story about the Palin family getting into a brawl — first alerted to us by @MsElleAyeGee — easily qualifies. Why? Well… 1. Sarah Palin, easily one of the six or seven…
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Dear Vogue: A Big Booty Is Not A Fashion Trend
Let me get this out first: WE CAN’T HAVE SHIT. *woosahs and le sighs* Patricia Garcia, Vogue writer, hipped me to something new in her essay, “We’re Officially in the Era of the Big Booty.” First, let’s start with the title. We’re “officially” embracing big butts, huh? Says who? Fashion designers? Pop culture experts? Mark…
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The Blackest Thing We've Seen This Week
Why this Kool-Aid ad featuring Malcolm Jamal-Warner, brought to our attention by Tonja Stidhum, is the Blackest thing we’ve seen all week. 1. There is no single food Blacker than the Kool-Aid packet. Not greens, not chitlins, not salt, not nothing. Imagine Cornell West playing dominoes at Rucker Park in Harlem. That’s how Black the…
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Defending Ray Rice Is Just The Same As Defending George Zimmerman
***Damon’s latest for Ebony on the similarities between Ray Rice defenders and the people defending George Zimmerman and Darren Wilson*** For (many) Black people, this is the most maddening and exasperating part of racism. Not the actual racism. But the denial that the actual racism exists. Knowing this, and how frustrated so many of us are by…
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VSB Roundtable: The Blackest Thing You've Ever Seen
I’m keeping the intro simple this time. Earlier, Maya showed me this vine: Perhaps it’s not the single Blackest thing I’ve ever seen — I’d have to dig into my archives to make that determination — but it’s definitely top 10. Maybe even top five. What’s yours? —-Damon Young Damn that’s Negro as fuck. Sets…