Today at 12:35 EST @dreamhampton313 posted the tweet: “Meditating on the difference between cultural criticism and artist. Considering abandoning the first.” dream hampton is none other than Hip Hop’s well-respected chronicler of Urban Life, among other things. She was  a dear friend of the late Christopher Wallace [AKA Biggie Smalls] and she knew and grew up with many of Hip Hop’s original MCs.  She is also the silent co-author of Jay-Z’s, autobiography,  Decoded. dream’s tweet struck a chord with me because as one who endeavours to eek out precious time to occasionally write about cultural “truth,” I often find myself…. [ Read More ]

Is it just me or is anyone else tired of celebrities who seduce us into buying their schlock and then THEY give it to charity? On February 24, 2011, I came across a headline on my Twitter timeline which read: “Why are black pop stars performing at the behest of dictators?” Written by Lori Adelman, the story came courtesy of The Griot an African American online journal. I immediately clicked on the link and was surprised to find that not only had Mariah Carey, Beyonce, and Usher performed for Libyan dictator Mouammar Qaddafi, but they accepted a $1 Million paycheck…. [ Read More ]

Women. You glorious, gorgeous complex beings of humanity. Lately, when I think about [W]omen & [w]omen, and to a large extent, Feminism & Womanism — altho’ as much as I am able to read Feminist and Womanist texts, and pieces of journalism from women who don’t identify as such — I don’t always compartmentalize my readings thusly. When I do think about the aforementioned ‘categories,’ I think about an inexhaustible subject that is never without seeming controversy. There is controversy, if you will, largely because I identify as a Woman, but also because women folk are everywhere—in colour, in size,…. [ Read More ]

A few days ago Jezebel compiled and posted this compilation of Kanye West’s “most ridiculous on air moments.” I’m not sure what the point of the PSA was other than to draw yet more attention to the fails and foibles of a young Holly’weird entertainer on the brink; to further humiliate, demonize, excoriate, and mock a black male celebrity—oh look, he’s so angry [but in that sexy black male kind of way]—to add more fuel to the fire and ire of a clearly inexhaustible genius and sometime professional ego-maniac; or to show how ‘on point’ Jezebel is when it comes…. [ Read More ]