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Dipset Forever
A Harlem Native reflects on the legacy of The Diplomats.
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On Lena Waithe and the Danger of Pinning Your Creative Authenticity to Your Activism
When it was announced that rising actor Jason Mitchellâknown for his performances in Straight Outta Compton, Mudbound and The Chiâhad not only been released from his contract as a series regular on The Chi but was removed from an upcoming Netflix film (and dropped by his agent and manager), the initial response was a consensus:…
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A Neverending Quest for Sovereignty
I often jokingly tell people that I grew up in a household made up of three (occasionally four, depending on what station in life my father was in at the time) distinct American dreamsâone for each flag or passport represented: Comoros, Canada and the United States. My mother, my brother and I are a trinity…
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âHang the Whitesâ: Rapperâs Hate Speech Trial Exposes the Hypocrisy of Race Relations in France
The music video for 34-year-old French rapper Nick Conradâs âPendez les Blancsâ (âHang the Whitesâ) opens with a jarring visual akin to the title itself: the lifeless body of a white man on a noose, while Conrad (a black man of Cameroonian descent) stands beside him lighting a cigar. Itâs a role reversal intended to…
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Black Ramadan and the Importance of Finding Community in Isolation
When I was a child, my mom would tell me stories about Ramadan in our homeland of Comoros. Some parts werenât the most idyllicâthe idea of fasting under mosquito nets without air conditioning that close to the equator is not my concept of pleasant by any stretch of the imagination. The one part that I…
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The Counter to Trumpâs Xenophobic Racism Is Not Exceptionalist Immigrant Narratives
Sometime Thursday, Donald J. Trump waddled into the Oval Office at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington, D.C., and not only blustered that immigrants from the countries of Haiti, El Salvador and the entire continent of Africa are âpeople from shithole countriesâ but also encouraged more immigration from countries such as Norway and the continent of…
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Did Afropunk Lose Its Punk Roots?
This weekend, a sea of unapologetic blackness will descend upon Fort Greeneâs Commodore Barry Park for Brooklyn, N.Y.âs 12th Annual Afropunk Fest. Instagram feeds and Twitter hashtags everywhere will be peppered with twist-outs and bold prints; your favorite vibe curator will inevitably make a thread of the best of the best of the audienceâs fabulous…
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Body Image and Me: My Struggle With Body Dysmorphia
A few months ago, I reconnected with a dear friend whom I hadnât seen in quite some time. We met up for brunch, laughed about prior fights, squashed beefs and updated each other on our personal lives in between bites of truffle fries. In between convos about the escapades that happened during our distance, I…
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Serena Williams Beats Everyone On The Court, But Just Can't Win With White People And Black Men
I want to say that the first time that I heard Serena Williams called a man was middle school. I canât say that with absolute certainty as middle school is generally universally awful and grades six through eight are a haze of mob mentality and chocolate milk but nonetheless, it wasnât until my teen years…
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America Owes Bresha Meadows A Debt That Will Never Be Paid
In just a few months, Bresha Meadows will finally be out of prison. However, it wonât be due to her case being dismissed, or being granted bail. Moreover, she will not be directly returning home. Instead, due to accepting a plea deal, a 15-year old Bresha will have her time served commuted and sent to…
