Very Smart Brothas
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Adult R&B Isn't Dead. It's Just Having A Mid-Life Crisis (And So Am I)
My regular rotation of music rests firmly planted somewhere in the 1990s, with pinches of the 1980s and beyond. When I cue something up on Songza? “Essential ‘90s R&B,” “‘90s R&B Wake-Up Call,” or “This is How We Do It: R&B Dance Party,” are the playlists of choice. I don’t deviate too much from a…
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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…
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REMINISCE – Saturday, September 6 | Washington, DC
REMINISCE | SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 THE BEST DAMN 90’s PARTY IN DC FREE BEFORE 11PM w/RSVP ($10 otherwise) | OPEN BAR 930-1030PM DJ UNDERDOG AND NICK THA 1DA on the 1s and 2s LIV NIGHTCLUB | 2001 11th St NW | WASHINGTON, DC RSVP: REMINISCEDC.EVENTBRITE.COM
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The Dos And Don'ts Of Sending And Receiving Nude Pics
In July, GQ Magazine ran a companion piece for the movie Sex Tape, the ridiculously titled “We Strenuously Fact-checked the Entire Premise of Sex Tape: An Investigation.” In this feature, Lauren Bans contacted an Apple Genius and rattled off “hypothetical” situations taken from the movie to see just how possible it would be for someone to…
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Proof That God Really Does Exist: Carlton Banks Is On Dancing With The Stars
Although I belong to a church, I wouldn’t call myself a “church person.” Still, I do believe in God, who always manages to quell any doubts about his existence by doing things like creating the Pacific Ocean, inventing praise dancing just so Black people can be even Blacker in church, and ALLOWING CARLTON BANKS TO…
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A Peek Into The Secret Club Of Assumed Racism
My thoughts flash back about five months ago to South Avenue in Wilkinsburg: It’s around 5:30 p.m. and I’m driving to my dad’s house for dinner with my wife and two daughters, 14 and 11. Something bizarre awaits us. We’re pulling out from a stop sign when – seemingly out of nowhere – two girls,…
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10 Thoughts I Had While Watching VH1's "ATL Rise" Rock Doc
Last night, VH1 debuted their Rock Doc, “ATL: The Untold Story of Atlanta’s Rise in the Rap Game”. While watching it, I had a bunch of thoughts, mostly nostalgic 1. It’s been 13 years since I’ve lived in Atlanta. At this point, I’ve lived in Washington, DC, longer than I’ve lived anywhere else in life.…
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Michael Sam, And The Black (And Gay) Politics Of Being "Twice As Good"
The analogy many gay rights activists and allies have made between their fight for equal rights and the Black American’s fight for civil rights is flawed, but I understand why it’s made. It’s a natural comparison, but it breaks down when considering that (most) Blacks can’t blend in. In America, Blackness is conspicuous, and this conspicuousness allows for…
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#IStandWithJoseline: Why Part 2 of the Love and Hip Hop Reunion Was a Trifling Mess
As Labor Day weekend came to a close and I finally managed to get the last bit of baby powder out from behind my ear from the last night’s fete (it’s a West Indian thing), my good homegirl reminded me that my favorite weekly stories were blessing me last night with the second part of…