Very Smart Brothas
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How Do You Listen to Hip-Hop?
On Feb. 2, 2018, Brooklyn, N.Y., wordsmith Skyzoo released an album called In Celebration of Us. I don’t know exactly how I decided to listen to it—I can’t call myself a Skyzoo fan—but since I did, it’s been in heavy rotation. Skyzoo, as any hip-hop head will tell you, is a noted lyricist in the…
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Watch: Ever Wonder What Was in a Hotep Starter Kit?
The word “Hotep” has gained a lot of traction online in recent years. By definition, Hotep means peace—like a greeting. To have Damon Young of Very Smart Brothas tell it, Hotep is the Egyptian version of “What’s good?” Now the word represents a very specific form of male performative pro-blackness that is anti-everything except limited…
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Is It Racist to Hate the New England Patriots Because They Have Too Many White Players? (Hint: Nope!)
You do not have to search very far to find good and moral reasons to hate the New England Patriots (also, to be clear, this is a sports hate, not a hate hate—hate hates are reserved for soggy chicken wings, cave crickets and Post Malone). In fact, you don’t have to search at all. If…
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This Is Us Finally Showed Us What Happened to Jack and the Episode Almost Took Me Out
SPOILER ALERT. ALL THE SPOILER ALERTS. If you’ve been watching This Is Us over the past two seasons, you know what the important question has always been: How exactly did Jack Pearson—world’s greatest father and most-of-the-time great husband—die? We found out early in season 2 that his death happened because of a house fire and…
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I Successfully Didn’t Watch the 2018 Super Bowl. Here’s What That Struggle Looked Like
Because I decided long ago not to watch the NFL this season, not watching the Super Bowl was an easy, if annoying, decision. I love the Super Bowl. I love how we pretend that it truly matters in the grand scheme of things. I love the commercials and the halftime shows and all that jazz.…
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America Will Not Stop Until Martin Luther King Jr. Is Completely Rebranded as a Slice of Avocado Toast
America’s progressive distilling, dissolution and dissolving of Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and the accompanying appropriation of his words is truly a wonder to behold. It is like watching someone pour themselves a shot of Jack Daniels—but in a gallon jug instead of a shot glass. And then watching them add more and more ice…
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The World’s 10 Greatest Solemn-Ass Negroes, Ranked
I forgot who it was who first told me that Ice Cube never smiles in movies. I think it was a Delta because that’s a very Delta observation to make. But yeah, Ice Cube never smiles in movies. I imagine Queensbridge project life is hard, but I had no idea it was so hard that…
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If You Use a Housecleaning Service, Do You Tidy Up Before They Come?
A few days ago, as I perused my Facebook timeline, I came across a discussion started by a friend of mine from here in Washington, D.C., where he was saying that you should stop cleaning, or tidying up, your home before your cleaning people show up, since they already know how filthy you are and…
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6 Ways to Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday Without Watching the Super Bowl
Like apple pie and violence, the Super Bowl and Super Bowl watch parties are an American tradition. This year, though, many of us have given the proverbial middle finger to the league (and need prayer), which means that this Sunday, Super Bowl Sunday, is going to be interesting. While I’ve not had or gone to…
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I Have a Problem: I Keep Ending Up at Target
Hi, my name is Panama Jackson, and I’m addicted to Target. I don’t know how it happened. Look—walking into Target to buy some Mucinex and walking out with a blender, some new bedsheets, a hammer and a new backpack isn’t unique. Nearly everybody who walks into Target leaves $100 lighter than expected. At this point,…