It begins the same way each time.

Parenting, in practice, is a lot of work. Sure, it’s work that most of us who have the privilege of being parents love, but there are days when everybody can use a break. Especially when you have little ones, which I do. I have three children, aged 3, 4 and 10. As kids get older they get easier, physically, while the…

1. Apt

I’m not saying that somebody has it out for me when it comes to air travel, but I’m not saying somebody doesn’t either. I’ve made several trips in the past two months and they’ve all come with their fair share of shenanigans. I wrote about the one that ended my on-again, off-again relationship with American Airlines,…

So let’s just get this out of the way immediately.

You’ve probably seen a ton of lists circulating on social media lately ranking the 50 greatest rappers of all time. I don’t know who did the first one, but somehow Joe Budden—an extremely talented and gifted wordsmith—ended up in the No. 3 slot ahead of arguably, at minimum, 10 rappers easily better than him. Because…

I’m still processing some aspects of both Euphoria’s season finale and the entire completed season. (Namely, whether the show is actually good, or if I just enjoy it and think it is.) But one cemented detail is that Zendaya catapulted into the holy shit stratosphere of acting and talent and presence and range.…

Sentient Stacy Adams shoebox Jason Whitlock is trending again today, for the same reason that his name always appears on my timeline when it does. A popular black athlete said or did something moderately cool, and this act offended Whitlock’s sensibilities enough for him cast judgment on said athlete with the fury of…

On Friday, July 26, after much leadup and life changes for one Chancelor Bennett, aka Chance the Rapper, he independently released his “debut” album, The Big Day. Boasting a shit-ton of songs, largely about relationships and the leadup to “the big day”—his wedding, presumably—he uses his “big day” (“debut” album…

For a solid stretch—probably from at least 2008 through 2014—I’m going to assert that Washington, D.C., was the Black Brunch Capital of African America. If you wanted to see bougie blackness at its apex, the U Street N.W. corridor was your spot. It was nothing to see young black professionals and politicos dancing on…

A few weeks ago, while my wife and I were kicking it with some friends at a Pirates game, the subject turned to toilets. Namely, public toilets. Specifically, which establishments in the Pittsburgh area had the nicest bathrooms—a valuable consideration if you have an emergency situation and can’t wait until you get…

“You are my worst fear realized,” a black woman—and complete stranger—said to me after I concluded my keynote speech. She continued, “I came to hear you speak, and you have confirmed my worst fears. You aren’t a true black person.”

The trailer for the biopic about Harriet Tubman—called Harriet—recently hit the internets; the movie hits theaters in November. The film (perhaps controversially) stars Cynthia Erivo in the role of the most famous Harriet of all time. I have no facts to back up that statement but I feel it in my soul so I’m going with…

And I feel much better.

1. Wait...what?

I listen to a lot of podcasts nowadays, the vast majority centered around true-crime, the NBA or history. I spend a lot of time searching for podcasts that tickle my fancy, though. My fancy is most frequently tickled by discussions about hip-hop, black cinema or great moments in blackness and/or black history.

Spike Lee’s third film, Do The Right Thing, turns 30 years old on Sunday, July 21, but its message is so fresh that it could have been made today.

Remember that scene in literally every superhero origin story, when the superhero person did some super shit in public for the first time, and most people who witnessed it were like, “Whoa!!! That was some super shit! Who knew we had super people here?” (And then a few are like, “Well actually what just happened can…

Once upon a time, not long ago, when people wore pajamas and lived life slow, my wife and I were invited to a wedding in Dallas; ya know, deep in the heart of Texas. Because I believe that there’s nothing you should do today that you can put off until tomorrow—I don’t actually believe this, but my airplane ticket…

Yoga is cool. Exercise is fine. Sex is great. Rest is sublime. But if you really want to practice an exciting and efficient version of self-care, try calling the police on random white people. You will be refreshed, you will be fulfilled, it will complete you.