(ThyBlackMan.com) I noticed that the rapper Ja Rule is headed to prison this week to begin a two-year sentence on a weapons charge. Being caught with a gun in New York is no joke, especially when you’re black. The NYPD stops and searches black males at alarming rates, and the state has ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Gil Scott Heron (1949-2011) was more than a legendary entertainer. He was a social and political visionary that helped to inspire generations of young gifted and talent poets, spoken word artists, rappers, and a global cadre of musical and cultural satirists that have contributed to the irreversible, progressive transformations ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) At the center of every people is something that is, for them, innately funky. And when they fail to hold on to that something, then they fail to protect their Soul. America is such a careless and cold marketplace that it is easy for anyone to lose their Soul. ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) I will never forget when I heard the political poem, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, performed at The Arlington Museum of Art, in Arlington, Texas. I was so enamored, attentive, and wanted to know if the poet on the stage was the author of the powerful words. I later ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) I understand why Director Spike Lee is upset. And I definitely can’t say that I blame him. For over twenty years now he’s worked his butt off to change the horrible stereotypes of Black folks on the big screen, only to have Tyler Perry, within a few short years, ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) The MC/DJ duo is nothing new in Hip-Hop music. The DJ has evolved from the position of skilled disc spinner to the position of producer. The MC/DJ combo of the now is the MC/Producer. This formula has worked to success several times over in the history of the music ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) May 25 will be a bittersweet day across America. On that day, after a quarter century of unparalleled excellence and out-of-this-world success, Oprah is closing down “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” TV’s top-rated talk show year after year after year. Hers is a truly remarkable and thoroughly American story, a ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Last night Michelle Obama hosted an “Evening of Poetry” at the White House. She invited an eclectic group of poets to recite their poetry. But, Fox News and right wing radio has singled out one performer—the Grammy award winning rapper Common—to be on the receiving end of their ire. ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) The Obama Administration recently announced that it is standing by its decision to invite the “controversial” rapper Common to the White House for a poetry reading event. Anyone who has heard or seen Common perform (which you can see by clicking here) understands that this brother is about as controversial as ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) First Lady Michelle Obama has planned an evening of poetry tonight, and many people are up in arms about one of her invitees, poet and rapper Common. His attendance and him performing are considered inappropriate to critics, including The Daily Caller and Fox News, who’s headline reads: “Michelle Obama ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Talk about awful timing: In a media moment where even straight-arrow political reporter Bob Schieffer is calling his statements about the president racist, reality TV star and possible presidential candidate Donald Trump presided over an episode of Celebrity Apprentice Sunday in which all three black women still on the ...
(ThyBlackMan.com) Reruns remind of period when Black family life was celebrated… After watching a rerun of the 1980’s television mega-hit “The Cosby Show” on cable television, the thought that this show was controversial when it premiered is hard to fathom. The episode I watched was a funny but truly realistic ...