Jay Z
On Black Masculinities, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, “Queen Sugar” and “4:44”
We forget that it was Oprah Winfrey who handed black pop culture’s one-dimensional image of black men. It was 2004 and social media as we know it didn’t exist. The black blogosphere was still in its gestational phases, and online dating for black folks was relegated to hook ups on Black Planet websites and […]
Read more "On Black Masculinities, Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, “Queen Sugar” and “4:44”"Made in Our Own Image: The Gospel According to Beyoncé
Ever since Destiny’s Child disbanded and Beyoncé Knowles, the lead singer for the group made a go for it as a solo artist, she’s had hit after hit after hit. We all looked up one day, and she had somehow become this artistic juggernaut who couldn’t seem to fail. She was the epitome of what […]
Read more "Made in Our Own Image: The Gospel According to Beyoncé"An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Hip Hop: Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and Harry Belafonte
On Tuesday, August 13th, 2013, Kendrick Lamar, up and coming West Coast rapper who burst onto the scene with mixtapes that got rave reviews and an album good kid m.A.A.d city that stays in heavy rotation when I hit the road, dropped a guest verse on Big Sean’s Control album that included the following lines: I heard […]
Read more "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Hip Hop: Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and Harry Belafonte"Jay-Z Was Wrong, Numbers Do Lie
Men lie; women lie; numbers don’t. Jay-Z famously made that quote in 2009 at the American Music Awards and it entered the pop cultural lexicon as a bellwether for truth and stark reality. This statement was made with regards to records sales; he was still able to move units in a day and age where […]
Read more "Jay-Z Was Wrong, Numbers Do Lie"
Joshua Lawrence Lazard 