Very Smart Brothas
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This Belly Flop Contest Into a Pool of Mayonnaise Is the Best-Ever Example of ‘That’s Some White-People Shit’
It’s hard to assign an accurate definition for the oft-employed phrase “That’s some white people shit” because, well, the best-possible definition is located within the phrase. “That’s some white people shit” literally means, “That’s some shit so exclusive to whiteness that it deserves its own phrase.” But, also, it’s easier to list things that would…
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Issa Rae’s ‘I’m Rooting for Everybody Black’ Was FUBU
Today’s post was not intended to be about Issa Rae. After writing about the season finale of Insecure last week, I wanted to move on to other topics for discussion. But then, at last night’s Emmys, Rae, in a moment of candor, found a way to make all her fans proud to be a part…
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Strong Island Is on Netflix. You Should Watch It Now
Officiating funerals is one of the hardest things I have to do in ministry. I struggle with the right words to say, the right Scriptures to read. This is difficult for me because I am agonizingly aware that the family before whom I stand lost someone they love. And no matter what I say, their…
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Anika Noni Rose’s Patience With Cicely Tyson Is the Blackest Thing That Ever Happened This Week
The Emmys began last night with a skit featuring disgraced former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, a clear reference to Melissa McCarthy’s brilliant impersonation of him on Saturday Night Live, and an act in which the consequencelessness of whiteness has never been better exemplified. Whatever hope there is that the people connected with Donald…
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An Ode to an Unsung Atlanta Classic, Lil Will’s ‘Lookin’ for Nikki’
In March 2016, Netflix debuted The Art of Organized Noize, a thrilling documentary that chronicled the beginnings and rise of the legendary Atlanta musical collective of Rico Wade, Ray Murray and Sleepy Brown—Organized Noize Productions—that brought us Outkast, Goodie Mob, the Dungeon Family, and several musical productions that set the standard for the South and…
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Who Gets Your Vote in 2020: The Night King or Donald Trump?
Perhaps the most depressing part of Darth Cheeto’s reign in office is that unless he’s impeached (which could but probably won’t happen), arrested (which could but probably won’t happen), quits (which could but probably won’t happen) or dies (which … no comment), he will run again in 2020, and I’m not confident that anyone would…
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So You’ve Decided to Make Friends With a Black Person: A Beginner’s Guide
You’ve finally decided that it’s time to make a black person your actual friend. Congrats! Let’s say you just started a new job, or maybe your kid made a new friend at school, or perhaps some black people even just moved into your neighborhood, and now you want to make nice with them. Cool. You’re…
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I Threw My Back Out This Morning by … Waking Up. I Think I’m Officially Old Now
I realize that talking about the aches and pains of getting older is a pretty cliché thing to do. But since I try to be at least six or seven stereotypes a day—it really is empowering in an ironic way—I feel like being one age-appropriate cliché is OK. With that being said, I’m feeling old…
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Is Lawrence From Insecure Trash? An Important Debate
It’s a question that has dominated the conversations about Insecure, both on Facebook and Twitter and at happy hour and game nights. Of course, Lawrence wasn’t the main character on the show, and Insecure featured several other compelling storylines, but there seems to be a consensus about each non-Lawrence character and subsequent character arc. Molly’s…