Very Smart Brothas
-
At One Point, My Career Goal Was to Be a Backup Dancer for Usher
It was a clear, dark night, a clear, white moon. I was born by the river, in a little tent. About 15 years later, I remember seeing a video for “Can U Get Wit It” by the oldest-acting teenager of all time. Yes, that teenager would be Usher Raymond, under the tutelage of Sean “Puffy”…
-
Rashaun Williams Is a Venture Capitalist Who Gives the Game Away for Free; Have a Seat and Learn Something
Rashaun Williams is a recovering investment banker and current venture capitalist. He worked at Goldman Sachs and other firms for 13 years before moving to the West Coast to get into the tech world. He is a general partner at Manhattan Venture Partners’ All-Star Fund, a late-stage tech company focused on investing in unicorns like…
-
Melania Trump Acts Like She Expected Her Old, Rich and Unhealthy Husband to Be Dead by Now
Of course, I’m not suggesting that Melania Trump wants her husband, Donald Trump, the president of the United States of America, dead. I’d never say such a thing! Nor would I say that she is waiting for that to happen with the general countenance of a person who just worked a 12-hour shift and gets…
-
How to Be a Better White Person
I am asked, frequently, by people who happen to be white and also happen to read my work (or perhaps happened to listen to me speak) about how to be a better white person. I’m often compelled to answer, “Go to the gym, I guess, and be nice to bartenders.” Which is an adequate answer,…
-
What Does Your Favorite Artist Have to Do to Lose Your Support?
Me and you, your mama and your cousin, too, still know people who support R. Kelly. Despite everything that we now (allegedly) know, there are still people who refuse to believe that he’s done or is capable of doing what he’s been accused of. Even though the vast majority of black folks believe that the…
-
Travis Reinking Is What Happens When Black People Are ‘Criminals’ and White People Are Allowed to Be Invisible
A few months ago, during a conversation on Facebook about one of the many mass shootings committed by a white man (I forget which one), the homie Sai Grundy wrote that (paraphrasing) one of the byproducts of the criminalization of blackness is that white people are often able to elude suspicion by virtue of their…
-
Kanye’s Politics Are What Happens When You Don’t Read Books
As someone who still owns land on Yeezy Island, I was anxious when Kanye West made his return to Twitter a couple weeks ago. Because as those who haven’t yet sold their Yeezy properties know, every time he opens his mouth, property values plummet. So imagine my pleasant surprise when I saw that his subject…
-
If You Love J. Cole, KOD Is Dope. If You Don’t Love J. Cole, KOD Is Trash. Water Is Still Wet
It’s no secret that Jermaine “J. Cole” Cole is one of the most polarizing artists in hip-hop. Possibly ever. He’s got a legion of fans who believe that Light-Skinned Jermaine is the second coming of rap Jesus, and that his super-relatable persona, plus his above-average lyrical content, makes him one of this generation’s greatest artists.…
-
200 Words About the Ain’t-Shit Cops Who Were Called on the Black Men at Starbucks
“This is some bullshit” are the four words you’d hope a crowd of police officers—people with actual crime to fight or maybe just actual boxes of doughnuts to eat—would say when called to question and arrest two men whose only apparent crimes occurred when the Starbucks manager decided they were criminals. She literally spoke their…
-
What’s the Best Song to ‘Electric Slide’ To?
If I have to do a line dance at an event, that’s the one you can count me in for.