(ThyBlackMan.com) Rappers are faced with “selling out” or staying true. Both have their pros and cons, so which one to choose? I remember as a kid in 4th grade, listening to Ja Rule on the radio and watching him on 106 & Park daily. Letting him remind me why, at ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) 2011 for hip hop music has been talked about as one of the best years in recent memory. The likes of J. Cole, Wale, Fabolous and Rick Ross have made buzzes releasing singles and flooding the underground with mix tapes. While Lil’ Wayne, J. Cole and Drake all have ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Chuck D took some flack recently for a response that he made to the critically acclaimed track dropped by Jay Z and Kanye West backed by generous “samples” of the legendary Otis Redding. The song in question “Otis” is upon a cursory glance an ode to materialistic things, luxury ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) I met the rapper Chuck D at the Measuring the Movement forum, hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton. I sat next to Chuck for a good 30 minutes during the panel discussion and got to appreciate his humility and intelligence as it pertains to the plight of black people. What ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) As I browsed through some old music magazines, I stumbled upon the words of Rob Markman. “Jermaine Cole [J-Cole] has some nerve. The 24-year old hasn’t even released his debut album yet, and he’s already turning down invites from Sean “Diddy” Combs. Yeah, J. Cole must really be feeling ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) I recently read an article about the amazing singer, Mary J. Blige, and how molestation at an early age played a role in some of her poor choices later in life. After confronting the demons of drug and alcohol addiction, Mary J. stands as arguably the most inspirational songbird in America, ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) For those of us who are old enough to remember when Rap Music first hit the nation’s airwaves, I am quite sure none of us in the recording industry would have ever envisioned the effect this music would have on our culture and in our lives as a whole. ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Recently, I find myself engaged in discussions about social entrepreneurship and its lasting impact vs. charity’s seemingly temporary one. Growing up as the son of Salvation Army officers, I’m no stranger to the ideology of helping those in need. As a child, I watched my parents play the roles ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) During the 2008 Presidential Election, elite members of the hip-hop community came out in full support of the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama. This was understandable. Barack Obama was the most formidable black candidate for the oval office, (making Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson seem as relevant as a block ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) It’s been said that music is the soundtrack of life. I can’t imagine my own life without music, so I must pay respect to its ubiquitous African roots. I am not talking about black music this week because President Jimmy Carter dubbed June as Black Music Month in 1979 ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) The young and radiant Senaya was born under the Senegalese sun, in the capital city of Dakar. Very proud of her roots, she considers herself as originating from both Senegal and Guadeloupe. Her father is a Senegalese businessman and her mother hails from Guadeloupe. She works in the medical ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) I was a bit shocked when I received an email from a friend citing an article by Roy Metoyer out of Atlanta regarding a recent interview by CNN’s Piers Morgan with Beyonce Knowles. During the interview, Morgan did the usual celebrity probing, which was to be expected. But surprisingly, he pressed ...