Damn, He Got A Point

Courtesy: The Grio I'm not too familiar with B. Simone . I don't know many fellas that might be either. But I do know that she has found some new success and recently took social media by storm. During an interview with Nick Cannon she stated that because of her lifestyle as an entrepreneur, she couldn't possibly date a man who worked a  9-5 job. Nick tried to make a contrary case, but she was vehemently adamant that that just wasn't her thing. Many found those thoughts to be ignorant, myself included. I'm in no way offended by what B. Simone said. But I do think it goes to show the quality of people she has dated and how they approach relationships. As I've gotten older and dated more deliberately, I often thought about roles. Not necessarily gender roles, but simply thinking about my own qualities and talents. What am I good at? What is she good at? How can I add to her life? I feel that beyond protecting your partner or helping to provide that you...

Courtesy: VideoBlocks It might've taken a pandemic, but I think the world is leaning towards more organic communication again. The Coronavirus has inadvertently given us more time on our hands as we continue to practice social distancing. Contemporary dating culture is a topic that has come up with me in conversations that I've had during this social distancing era. Whether through text or virtual happy hours, there were a lot of parallels.  A lot of the conversation surrounded around the Hinge app and the lackluster crop of guys that women find on there. They negatively cited things like hood nicknames on there and the listed interests, namely, "you know the vibes." There was also the sentiment discussed of knowing where a woman stands and deciding to "waste" her time anyway. It dawned on me that there are just habits that guys have that I don't think they shake as they get older. Their idea towards dating and what it's supposed to mean does...

                                   Courtesy: Oprah Magazine About 6 years ago I wrote a piece on SBM called  " How Would You React to Having A Gay Child? " It was written within the context of thinking what if parenting is nothing like what I expect it to be? I wanted to challenge myself to think about who I was at my core; was my love conditional? What I did to gain some clarity was think about my father growing up. I only lived with him for about 7 years and even with as flawed as he was, I thought he was  that dude. At that moment, I realized that was all that mattered. My kid will place me on a pedestal by default. I've got to love them the same way. This week Dwyane Wade's family has been at the forefront of the news because his 12 year old daughter Zaya decided that she would like to now be referred to as a girl. Sexual orientation conversations are some of the most p...

Courtesy: Everything Girls Love It's been 6 years since The Best Man Holiday released.  After going out to catch that movie, a conversation ensued where I heard the phrase that a man should love a woman more than she loves him. Naturally, I wrote about it. You can read the piece here.  At the time I didn't agree with the phrase and I saw it more at a surface level. But with time, experience and growth, I now view the phrase differently. Initially I felt like people should go into relationships as equals in pretty much every sense. But as of late, I've been thinking about what kind of man I'd want a future child of mine to date, or my niece, or any other lady family member for that matter. What began to occur was that I started thinking about what it means to date deliberately. What is trying to be accomplished? I realized that no matter what, I'm trying to convey that the said person is my clear choice. The whole idea of a man "loving" a ...

November 1st, 2019 marked the release of the highly anticipated Nike Uprising sneaker created by Ruth Jean-Marie . The Nike Uprising celebrates Haitian heritage as being the first Black republic. I had the opportunity to sit down with the multifaceted Ruth Jean-Marie . We spoke about her love of sneaker culture, how in the hell she was able to design a signature sneaker, and what significance the colorway has among other details. Check it out below! How does one get the opportunity to create a signature sneaker Ruth? I won a competition with We Are Cultivator x Nike to express gratitude. I, of course, am grateful for the audacity of my ancestors. Winners got to design a sneaker commensurate with what we're grateful for.  I designed the sneaker after the uniforms worn by Haitian revolutionaries .  Our sneakers launch 11/1 and are limited edition; they'll be available for ten days. So now we know what influenced the actual colorway for the sneaker. ...

Courtesy: Kamdora This past weekend I came across a Youtube show called Pass The Bluntness . It's a lighthearted interview show that asks people to speak on millennial type taboo subjects. The latest episode is centered around sex after a first dat e. Of course there's a litany of ideas on it and I thought the show covered it all rather well. One subject that I think isn't spoken on enough is sexual health.  During this episode the question was asked as to if there is a conversation with a date as to their sexual health status. The participants were very honest about whether or not they have those conversations and why it can be difficult at times. One gentleman in particular said that he tries to go off of a woman's "vibe" more than anything. He felt he needed to protect himself more with someone who he deemed as being more promiscuous than "normal." I applaud that transparency. It's understood in matters regarding sex that m...

Courtesy: Single Black Male Listening to podcasts is something I have grown to enjoy doing. I know that I'm not the only one. My tastes vary from dating and sex podcasts to  politics and sports. One of my favorite shows to check out sometimes is called Room For Relations . In the latest episode called "Are You Married or Just Dating?" the gang discusses when the right time is to begin handling duties that are associated with marriage. Among some of the tasks or behaviors mentioned were things like making a plate for your partner, cooking for your partner, washing the dishes, taking the garbage out and even taking their car for oil changes. The discussion was surprisingly eye opening for me, because these are tasks I haven't given much thought to in regards to when the right time was to carry them out. It pays to remember that you have to take yourself out of your own thought pattern to try and understand these things. So I did, and it's obvious that it's...