784 Search results for "28 years"

Anytime an underground art becomes commercialized it is simultaneously at risk of becoming compromised. We saw this happen in the ballroom scene, rap music and hip hop culture. The same issue surfaced in the poetry scene when Russell Sims began to take spoken word and turn it into a commercialized art. Nothing is wrong with […]

And all of this makes Scott-Heron’s new album, I’m New Here, all the more stunning; not since the Rick Rubin-assisted resurrection of Johnny Cash’s legendary (and, by the earlier 90’s, similarly derailed) career has an older, seemingly past-their-prime artist returned with something so haunting, so vital, and so unequivocably brilliant.

During my transition in to high school, two years ago, I was lucky enough to have parents willing and able to sacrifice for my education. I had a choice between attending a smaller urban school that happens to be private and going to the large public high school in the suburb I’ve grown up in. At the […]

There are certain things in life I just can’t explain: Jermaine Jackson’s haircut, Mike Tyson’s face tattoo, and John Mayer’s racist phallus. While I admit to not understanding every enigma, I can usually sense a farce. I wasn’t alive when Milli Vanilli’s track skipped, but let’s be honest, who didn’t see that coming? Although I […]

Since embarking on a solo career in 2003, Beyonce has completely mastered an intoxicating mixture of R&B and Hip Hop that redefined Pop music in the 2000s, her live performances continue to stun audiences around the world, and her fierce protection of her private life from media scrutiny has allowed her to cultivate a largely blemish-less superstar status. All things considered, Beyonce is clearly the greatest and most influential female pop artist of the 2000s.

Note: Late week, Professor Cohen had a talk about the Black Youth Project, including the blog, on campus.  I just want to say thanks to the folks who complimented me on my writing here.  It means a lot, and I want to express my deepest gratitude.   I’m sorry that I was socially awkward.  I had […]

Today was a good day. Got to sleep in (always a treat), attended my graduate course taught by Professor Cathy Cohen (Race & Politics—always interesting), and I had an interview for the Office of Multicultural Affairs on campus (which I nailed by the way). In fact it has been a good week so far. I’m […]

When I fall in love it will be forever Or I’ll never fall in love In a restless world like this is Love is ended before it’s begun And too many moonlight kisses Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun When I give my heart it will be completely Or I’ll never give […]

30.1 Million dollar is how much it cost. This past Monday I woke up at 7 am in the morning to participate in the University of Chicago’s annual day of service. To be honest, when the clock went off for me to wake up, I had my doubts if I was going to be able […]

(response to “NBA needs to teach guys like Arenas”) In the early hours of the Arenas debacle—the post-suspension one, commentators took to the airwaves, blogs, and news sites to talk about what changes the NBA would need to make, to not only teach Gilbert Arenas a lesson, but to teach all the other boys in […]

Aloha . . . Mahalo . . . Hula . . . Hana Hou . . . are a few Hawaiian words I’ve learned this week while visiting Hawaii. You know, I think Hawaii is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen with its luscious green mountains and its sparkling blue beaches. There is something […]

  On November 24, 2009 in an article form the Washington Post, it has been reported that joblessness for 16 – to – 24 year old black men has reached proportions similar to the Great Depression; i.e., 34.5 percent of black men between the ages of 16 – to – 24 are jobless, which is […]