(ThyBlackMan.com) I worked and lived in South Africa for five years only recently having been transferred to my employer’s West Africa office in Abuja, Nigeria. My musical tastes, prior to that transfer were largely confined to underground hip-hop and 70s soul. As any expat should, I’ve opened up to new ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Music and song has always served as a catalyst to help Black/African Americans maintain a sense of internal calmness and hope during strife; cultivate, embrace and express individuality; as well as represented that living connection to and displayed through craftily-strung together lyrics trophies of cultural history, knowledge and heritage. ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) The culture wars. Not the variety supposedly being waged on the national stage in America this election season. No, this one falls under another category. One that I would wager a greater number of black men of a certain age are grappling with. The hip-hop variety. A struggle that ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) A rapper who thought that it was fun to brag on Twitter about drinking and driving died shortly after sending his last tweet. The tweet by the rapper “Inkyy” was YOLO, which means “You only live once.” It appears that his sudden death confirms his expectation…he’s only going to ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Michelle Obama took a visit with Dr. Oz on his TV show, using her popularity to bolster her husband’s chances at reelection. Michelle is a superstar in the Obama campaign strategy, as she is one of the most beloved figures in America. The episode with Dr. Oz, which airs ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) This week, a rapper in Chicago by the name of Jojo made a “diss record” about the rapper Chief Keef. A few days later, the 16-year old rapper was dead. Some think that Jojo’s death certificate was signed when he spoke negatively against Keef, and some of his friends ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Since the early 90s, Nasir Jones –aka- as Nas has been one of the most prolific rappers in Hip Hop music. As a poet Nas has the gift of storytelling and the voice of a jazz connoisseur trained to hit every bar and note on time. “Life Is Good,” ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Unfortunately, everything old is new again. I imagine that when some Southern plantation owners finally decided to move to the cities and start businesses, they might have founded much of the music industry as we know it today – at least, in spirit. Surely you know that our Black ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) I watched the first episode of “R&B Divas” last week on TVOne, and KeKe Wyatt is exactly why you should heal and I mean completely heal before you enter another relationship. She kept speaking of her ex, and how she has trust issues with men, she won’t ahem “allow” ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Ok. So because of the title and if you have read some of my prior articles, I know that you might be shocked that I approve of the message the Brother is relaying with his song. A lot of things that he says in this track are things I ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) A 1970’s news article on Aretha Franklin’s heroic gesture to pay bail for then recently arrested Angela Davis has been circulating on face-book (link is at end of article). Aretha Franklin offered to pay bail stemming from the capture of Angela Davis in New York after a massive FBI ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Today I did an appearance on Hot 97 in New York City with Lisa Evers, Dr. Christopher Emdin and a few other people. The conversation centered around whether hip hop has any impact on what our kids are doing with their lives. The question is simple for anyone who’s ...