Very Smart Brothas
-
I’m Really Excited for This Kanye West and Kid Cudi Album
Kid Cudi is one of my favorite artists ever. I still think Man on the Moon, Vol. II: The Legend of Mr. Rager is one of the most ambitious and brilliant forays into the mind of a person struggling with mental health issues. It’s got layers. When Kid Cudi decided that he needed to step…
-
No One Told Me That Getting Older Meant That You Literally Just Keep Aging Until You Die!
In the last three weeks, I’ve flown to Los Angeles for an event with The Glow Up; to Durham, N.C., for a wedding; and to Austin, Texas, to speak at the University of Texas. Which means that because Pittsburgh is Pittsburgh, and apparently the only place to which our airport has direct flights is McKeesport,…
-
10 Things I Learned From My 23andMe Results (That May or May Not Be True)
Since I got my AncestryDNA results back, I decided I was going to check out the other services and find out as much information about me, myself and I as possible. I finally got my results back from 23andMe, and they’re interesting, to say the least. Full disclosure: I paid for this test out of…
-
I’ve Never Met Anyone As ‘Black’ as Michael Rapaport Tries to Be
Full disclosure: I’m black. I also come from a large black family, grew up in the hood, taught in the hood, watched, like, 27 different movies about the hood and even married someone who is literally from the projects. Of course, when attempting to determine my “grade of blackness,” none of this matters, because grades…
-
True to the Game Is What I’d Expect to Happen if Tyler Perry Directed an Episode of Power
I’m a Netflix black-movie connoisseur. I’ve not been shy about the fact that if a movie exists and has lots of black people in it, there’s a better-than-99 percent chance that I’ll watch it, no matter what. They don’t even have to speak English. I may not make it all the way through—some movies are…
-
Why Saying ‘One Bad Apple Doesn’t Spoil the Bunch’ About Starbucks Misses the Point Entirely
I get it. You like Starbucks. You’ve been going there for, like, ever, and you really like your veni-vidi-vici triple-fat goose macchiato latte with a splash of waterfalls and shit. I get it. The fuckery at Starbucks right now, and even the company’s decision to close down for a day to “train” its employees on…
-
I Don’t Trust White People in ‘Black’ Spaces. I Don’t Call the Cops on Them, but Perhaps I Should
Back when I was a high school English teacher, I had a white female colleague (“Katie”) who not only dated black men but was also one of those white women who exclusively date black men and let everyone know that they only date black men whatever chance they get. Example: “Hey, were you able to download…
-
I Flew 1st Class for the 1st Time as an Adult. I Feel Like a Different Person
I recently went out to Los Angeles on a company-paid trip to host an event called Urban by Nature. From Washington, D.C., that trip is about five hours. For this reason, I typically scramble to get a window or aisle seat, praying to never get stuck on a five-hour middle-seat journey into uncomfortableness. Well, since…
-
Oh, Nooow Y’all Want to Boycott Starbucks? I Been Trying to Get Y’all to Do That for 15 Years!
Have you ever been right for the wrong reason? I’m sure you have. We all have. Well, when it comes to Starbucks, I’ve been right for both the right and wrong reasons. Starbucks has always represented gentrification to me (yep) and has been representative of the Man stepping on the necks of black folks near…