‘Free Diddy’ Won’t Free Us

Or how our emotional investments in questionable symbols of Black excellence continue to fail us. I have three thoughts about the large engagement of African American energy in Diddy’s innocence from creating a criminal enterprise over an azz of one. “Tight p**sy”. “Loose shoes”. A “warm place to s**t”. You should Google that. Or read […]

Menacing Hype Women and Pokémon Collections Aren’t the Threat — Or What’s Really Killing Us?

Love is an underused superpower. Check this visual: a woman introduces her man’s vinyl collection like it’s a third-grade science fair project — and then dares the internet to clap back. But some folks in our online village think they found the latest existential threat to Black masculinity. The comments are cruel. Commenters called the […]

Juneteenth: Beyond the Watermelon and Cookout

“Hmm. Didn’t know where to go. Turned us out just like, you know, you turn out cattle. [ laugh ] I say. Didn’t know where ta go.”—Laura Smalley, former slave in antebellum Texas; interviewed the Library of Congress’ Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project Laura Smalley’s recollection of living in Texas […]

Sly Stone — A Beautiful Prince of Blacknuss

Departed and Beloved Rahsaan Roland Kirk’s “Blacknuss” was more than a song and catchy title. it represented a glowing aesthetic. A unique language — never rooted in hate. A conveyance of history, struggle, creativity, and joy. Hell, Kirk even played the black notes on the piano when he performed the song live. “Blacknuss” represents a […]

Strange Brew: Smartphones are Shaping Our Lives

Are you living outside your screen? Hannah Arendt warned us that technology can cut both ways — open new doors while narrowing important ones. A walk through Chelsea a few years ago made me see her point. While on my way to watch legendary bassist Melvin Gibbs give a free performance at an art gallery, […]

Spotify Antics — It’s Not Payola, But Still Funny …

The curious case of Feg Hero I could easily pile on the legit concerns of musicians and writers about Spotify looking like a Trojan Road to a long-devalued destination called “exposure” … I mean, if Spotify’s paying creators chewing gum money, what other reason would bands have to stay on this platform? It’s the reanimation […]

Obama, Harris, Black Men, Black Women, and the Bigger Problem No One Talks About

As if white supremacy has nothing to do with this … Black men’s apparent problem with Vice President Kamala Harris running for Commander in Chief and former President Barack Obama admonishing those men about their feelings show how white supremacy — no, not white people — has such a voodoo headlock on Black intimate partnerships […]

Tyrese’s Ignorance of the ‘Asian Hate Crimes Bill’ — Symptom of a Disease Too Big for Him To See

Even stars chase clout for more shine, but that’s not the real problem. After shrugging my shoulders and giving a gas face while watching The Shade Room’s Instagram reel of singer and actor Tyrese Gibson blasting the Biden-Harris administration for signing the so-called Asian Hate Crime Bill while ignoring the safety needs of Black and […]

In Defense of André 3000 Grabbing His Flute and Changing on Us

C’mon, it’s 2024. Date: Nov 17, 2023 — “Apologetically unapologetic”. Those were the first two words I wrote while listening to Rapper André 3000’s track “I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time”, from his flute-driven New Blue Sun album. Some […]

Scene & Heard: Bilal — Live With Robert Glasper, Questlove, and Burniss Travis

Social media friend “Bart” — I’ll leave it at that since I don’t know how much he wants y’all to know about his kind and generous self — hit me with a Bilal vocal performance video that features Questlove playing drums, Robert Glasper on piano, and Burniss Travis keeping the pocket fresh with bass duties. […]