So Inside Out is a Pixar movie about a kid named Riley and mostly about the intersecting and competing emotions inside of her that exist like a control center in her brain and how all emotions—even the ones like sadness that we’d rather not have—have a symbiotic relationship. It was released in 2015 but I watched it…

It was a month ago, I think. Maybe two. Maybe last week. Time is a flat circle. I was on a Zoom call with either the people I don’t need to actually see in order to effectively communicate with them—which is most people. Like eight billion people. Or the people I might actually need to see while I’m talking to…

Do you remember this guy? If you’re my age (41) or older, you probably do. I’m sure Ice Cube does, because he’s old as fuck! If you don’t, his name is Ellis and he’s from a movie called Die Hard.

Along with my colorful collection of Crown Royal bags, tennis shoes and children, there’s probably nothing I have more of in my house than decks of playing cards. This is partially because of a habit I picked up in college due to rampant Spades playing: I never wanted to be caught out in the streets without a deck of…

I’ve always believed that the single Drakiest Drake song is “Shot For Me.” It’s petty, it’s passive-aggressive, and it’s actually pretty damn mean and nasty, but its meanness and nastiness are obscured by Drake’s falsetto-ey intonation.

1. Pestilence

This past weekend I did what I’ve done almost every weekend this year: took another L on the Nike SNKRS app. If you’re into buying sneakers, I’m sure some (if not most) of you can feel me.

The first NBA game I remember watching in full was in 1986 when Michael Jordan dropped 63 on the Boston Celtics in the playoffs. I’m certain I watched games before that one, either with my dad or on one of the BETA tape recordings he’d make of games that aired when he wasn’t home. But this is the one I remember most. P…

My family will soon welcome a new baby into our household so it only makes sense to dedicate a playlist to songs about kids and/or songs with “baby” in the title. The Root’s weekly playlist is going to be taking a hiatus. Thanks for sleepwalking with us and we’ll see you on the other side (“of the war”; Hamilton…

Much of my family will be in New Castle, Pa., this weekend to mourn the losses and celebrate the lives of my Uncle Donnie (who died last month) and my Aunt Doe (who died in April). This is happening this way because COVID-19. COVID-19 is why we had no service for my aunt in the spring. COVID-19 is why my dad and his…

Do you need to get rid of some flies? I did. Wrote a song about it; like to hear it, here it go.

I’m not saying, nor alleging, that I’m cooler than you. You might have designer shades just to hide your face and maybe even wear them around like you think that you’re cooler than me. But what separates me and you (maybe even your mama and your cousin, too) is that, until recently, you wore Crocs and in my head, that…

I love anything from Detroit. If it’s made there, it is simply better than everything else. If you want your hair did have it styled by a Detroiter at least once. A pair of gators? Detroit’s got you. Even Biggie, may he rest in peace, knew that. But because Detroit is the biggest Black city in America, you know the…

Early this morning, backslid humanoid Termite Listeriosis emerged from her deep slumber on a dumpster in an outhouse adjoined to a Barbie Dream Trap House to remind the world that a) she still exists and b) probably shouldn’t.

Every so often the Internets gets into a running debate about Black famous folks. What is “Black famous?” Well, it’s the idea that a person is famous, and widely known (and typically beloved), amongst Black folks, uniquely. Who is on this list is a moving target. And you can move from Black famous to famous-famous…

These are really comfortable.

This week there has been absolutely too much going on—sometimes you just need to rock with your favorite jams of the moment to get through the day. This week’s list is made up of folks’ personal jams. Jam on it.

Regardless of my feelings about his politics, Donald Trump is a human first. A husband. A father. An uncle. An American. And today I am deeply saddened by the news that both he and his wife, Melania, have tested positive for COVID-19. Yes, he is an abhorrent person who has said and done terrible things. But I’m…

...pull your mask down to talk to me. You don’t need to pull your mask down to talk to me. You don’t need to pull your mask down to talk to me. You don’t need to pull your mask down to talk to me. You don’t need to pull your mask down to talk to me. You don’t need to pull your mask down to talk to me. You don’t need…

If you spend some time on social media, you may have scrolled right past one of the most important discussions happening in the 21st century: How many “Nicks” are there before “Nickelodeon” in the old Nickelodeon theme song?