Damn, He Got A Point

                  Credit: Hellobeautiful We are currently in the middle of a podcast boom in 2019. Podcasting has proven to be a useful and lucrative medium for many. In the pantheon of great podcasts, I think it can be challenging to find a show that sets itself apart from the others. The Talk to Your Mom Podcast sets itself apart from its premise. Two strong, insightful, and beguiling Black women who speak on the Black woman experience. They present a mother/daughter dynamic that is unique and special to say the least. Tarawoner Lyles-Kelly is a Life Coach and the founder of the TYL foundation. Her daughter is Keyaira Kelly who is a Writer, Producer, and a women's advocate. Together, they co-host Talk To Your Mom in which they share experiences with one another. Quite frankly, they put each other on. They give each other game. As you listen, you hear two women who actually listen to one another. There isn't any condescension ...

      Courtesy: 11alive In February of 2018 I first learned who Robert F. Smith was. I was freelancing and covering social media for PBS ' premier of their "Pioneers" documentary series. The event emanated from The Harvard Club in Manhattan and was in tribute to Reginald F. Lewis who is recognized as the first Black billionaire in history. Robert F. Smith served as one of the key speakers of the evening. As he spoke, he certainly seemed like someone with a strong sense of self. He had a conscience that reached beyond his own surroundings. He got "it." He looks out, he encourages, and as of late, it's evident that he puts his money where his mouth is. As someone who  worked along Reginald F. Lewis, there is just no shortage of business acumen and social awareness that Robert F. Smith possesses. On May 19th, 2019 Mr. Smith took a stand that will always be remembered and appreciated. He vowed to grant the graduating class of 2019 forgiveness of t...

    Courtesy: Hunnid Grind Ari Lennox and her debut album Shea Butter Baby has been regularly in rotation for many of us as of late. For me, it's an easy listen. I know for the ladies, it's simply relatable music. I would say that my favorite track thus far is " Facetime ." The album is filled with a lot of odes to Ari's assertiveness as a woman and the confidence she has in her sexuality. That feel adds a ton of legitimacy to the music. It has you saying "I know that's right!" during the car test. One set of lyrics that really stood out to me came at the end of " Whipped Cream ." It's a song about a breakup and the aftermath. You can tell that it speaks to that period of time after a breakup where you begin going through the phases. You go through the anger, the sadness, and the anger of still having said person on your mind through it all. In this sense it seems like Ari wants to hate dude, but she really doesn't. Ho...

    Courtesy: picture-alliance/MediaPunch/J.Palmer I was about 9 years old when Biggie was shot and killed. I can remember " Hypnotize " being a joint that was in rotation on Hot 97 constantly before his murder. Through that song I learned of Biggie and due to the hook, I had heard everything I needed to once the news broke. Still, I had no idea what the enormity of his death meant to society, hip-hop culture, and my native Brooklyn as well. That Sunday morning when I learned of the news, Brooklyn was silent. At 9 years old there just was no way for me to bring context to such an event. Twenty-one years later, during the same month of Biggie's death, we lose Nipsey Hussle . Nipsey was on an ascent. Truth be told, all too often we lose those with such a light much too soon. Now to be completely honest with you all, until " Victory Lap" I really hadn't listened to any of Nipsey's music. It just so happened that I was hearing nothing but good ...

      Courtesy: Independent I love hip hop and I definitely have an appreciation especially for debut albums. The Game's debut album "The Documentary" is one of my favorite debut albums of any artist. I happen to think the majority of his discography is pretty solid. But I have always been conflicted with The Game as a person and his view of women. I really believe that he doesn't respect women and sees them as completely subservient to him. I want to share some thoughts today about my issues with The Game's mentality and how it is indicative to a problem among Black men. Last week I came across several tweets that reported this: The Game's manager implies any woman including Cyn Santana or Kim Kardashian who deny whatever The Game is rapping about, he will release tapes to prove the accuracy of the lyrics pic.twitter.com/Pmhxl60amz — 24/7 HipHop News (@BenjaminEnfield) February 2, 2019 Apparently on The Game's forthcoming ninth album, the...

      Courtesy: instagram,com/kendrick38 With the success of last year's inaugural Teen Vogue Summit , it returned for two iterations in 2018. The most recent one took place on on November 30th through December 1st. Surely, many thoughtful discussions took place and many thoughts were shared. Those in attendance I can almost be sure left feeling more enriched than when they first walked in. With all of this withstanding, I did come across the below tweet and it most definitely piqued my interest. Insecure’s Kendrick Sampson talks about how a man’s “game” is the same as coercion. #TeenVogueSummit pic.twitter.com/91DwikwQkc — Lindsay Weinberg (@WeinbergLindsay) December 1, 2018 Kendrick Sampson , who plays Nathan on HBO's Insecure believes that "game" is defined as getting a woman to do something that she does not want to do. As I watched the clip, I thought it came off as him having an epiphany of sorts; he might agree. I also thought that I have n...

Courtesy:raprehab.com I like to think that I have an affinity for finding the pulse of what folks are  talking about. A huge catalyst to this is Twitter. A few days ago I came across this tweet that made me think: men do this weird thing where they’re simultaneously attracted to how sexually free you are but also shame you for it — saint swazi (@swazikills) December 3, 2018 I have never agreed with trying to change who a person is. The mere thought of that is pretty exhausting. We are in an age now where people of all walks are more confident in living exactly how they want to. This includes women and their right and desire to define themselves in our society. Gone are the days where women choose to remain silent. Women are living with more conviction than ever. In this viral society, our eyes are captivated by dope pictures and insightful, truthful quotes that cause us to "like" them. A lot of what us men double tap on are provocative pictures, or messaging th...