It’s no secret that Jermaine “J. Cole” Cole is one of the most polarizing artists in hip-hop. Possibly ever. He’s got a legion of fans who believe that Light-Skinned Jermaine is the second coming of rap Jesus, and that his super-relatable persona, plus his above-average lyrical content, makes him one of this…
“This is some bullshit” are the four words you’d hope a crowd of police officers—people with actual crime to fight or maybe just actual boxes of doughnuts to eat—would say when called to question and arrest two men whose only apparent crimes occurred when the Starbucks manager decided they were criminals. She…
I hate the Cha Cha Slide. Like, I will never ever get up and do it at a wedding, graduation party, funeral party or just because it’s Tuesday. I like the Cupid Shuffle more, but it’s still not getting me up in the dancery. Nope. Same with the Wobble. I’m a die-hard Electric Slider. If I have to do a line dance at an…
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 away and get his mind right, I was…
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, I’ve flown…
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 my own pockets at the…
Full disclosure: I’m black.
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 just that bad—but I…
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…
1. America
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.
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.
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 and far,…
Seriously, I didn’t even realize there was a Pulitzer Prize for music. Be that as it may, Kendrick “Kung Fu Kenny” Lamar Duckworth has gone ahead and big-leagued every rapper to ever do it by winning a Pulitzer Prize for music for his album Damn. I don’t even know what to do with this information aside from be proud…
As is the case with many people who work remotely, I spend a considerable amount of time in coffee shops and cafés. I am in one now, actually, and I am currently eating Brussels spouts because they’re healthy and tasty and because the managers at said shop are so impressed with my luscious beard that they allow me to…
I recently got back from attending a race and policy symposium sponsored by the Students of Color in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley’s Goldman School of Public Policy. I had the distinct pleasure of being the keynote speaker for their conference, titled, “Reclaiming Our Time: The Importance…
Beyoncé is, currently, everything. She hasn’t always been, and perhaps won’t always be, but right now, one of the only essential truths in pop culture is that Beyoncé is bigger and better than everybody else. If she is not your favorite, she is better than your favorite, and she is (likely) your favorite’s favorite.…
199,783. Uncle Tom
1. An in-ground swimming pool with a weatherproof tarp.
I was walking home from my friend G’s house when I noticed the bright-orange cutoff notice on the door.
