Music

(ThyBlackMan.com) One of my mentors asked me why I was so quiet and not making my voice heard in the streets protesting for justice. First, because, I Can’t Breathe. I am still in mourning over all these babies being gunned down by the people who are supposed to protect us. ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) 1. Scour low income neighborhoods for misguided youth with flashes of talent. Make sure the artist has a strong local following from perpetuating a self-destructive narrative and the charisma to make self-destruction seem appealing. Artists with previous jailtime are preferred for credibility purposes. 2. Ingratiate yourself to the artist ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) Pharrell Williams is one of the biggest performers on the planet.  His song “Happy” was considered one of the greatest pop sensations of the year, winning him Grammy nominations for Best Music Video and Best Pop Solo Performance. he funny thing is that we often assume that the words “rich” and ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) Last week I said that I’d give alternate suggestions to buying features and explain the “philosophy” behind major labels providing signed artists with features. Let me start by saying that any major label – any mid-major with major label distribution – will spend upwards of a million dollars on ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) Ackquille Jean Pollard, aka rapper Bobby Shmurda, is a homegrown terrorist. He promotes killing his own people by making them dependent on illegal, psychotropic drugs. He terrorizes the black community where he lives with gun violence and publicly denigrates black women. If he were a member of Al Qaeda ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) One of the most beautiful things about this country is the first amendment. As a writer that statement is cliche, but in times of national crisis, outcry, and struggle it rings true. Congress shall make no law no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) I’ve been racking my brain for years trying to figure out why black entertainers are expected to be great role models and leaders. It’s interesting that only within the black community does one who seeks “success” owe something back to the black community. I often wonder where this notion ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) Sub-genres are hard to define because they usually appear organically, derived by the fans of the music. They are nuanced in subtle ways that make a big difference to the insiders. To the uninitiated, the manifestation of a sub-genre can pose a good question, “what’s the difference?” Instead of ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) Nicki Minaj, aka Onika Tanya Maraj, disappoints me.  As a fan of quality hip-hop, I immediately concluded that Nicki Minaj is every bit as talented as her male counterparts.  Her flow is smooth, creative and powerful, and she could easily make hit records and perform battle rap at the highest ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) What’s going on with everybody, it’s been a minute. Been ripping and running getting some career goals out of the way. I know it’s been a couple of week ssince this came out, but I felt compelled to quickly harp on the news of Chicago rapper Chief Keef being ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) I was amused and intrigued by the online criticism of Nicki Minaj’s new song “Only.”  Some are saying that the video is anti-Semitic, primarily because it presents imagery similar to the German military during World War II.  Of course, the Jewish holocaust is nothing to laugh about, and most ...

(ThyBlackMan.com) My friend Chuck Creekmur runs Allhiphop.com, one of the leading hip-hop news websites in the country.  I love remaining connected to the site because I truly believe that if we are to critique hip-hop music, we should be able to understand and appreciate it.  It is the lack of ...