Being A Bad Girl: Badu vs. Minaj (Part 2)
Bad girls make art that comes out of experience and not style. -Linda Goode Bryant
Have you seen the June/ July 2010 issue of VIBE magazine? It’s a double cover featuring Nicki Minaj and Erykah Badu. Both ladies are adorned in body paint. For Erykah it’s the kind inspired by the Indian henna work often seen on Hindu brides-to-be. Nicki’s body paint is more cartoonish than culturally based. Her entire upper body– ta-tas and all, Read more...
Shirley Sherrod: From Racist to Victim
This Shirley Sherrod gaffe speaks volumes about the power of right-wingers, how women, especially Black women, are perceived and treated when ish hits the fan, and lastly, about the lack of investigative reportage nowadays. When Andrew Breitbart, a well known right-wing troublemaker can get the Obama administration to force the resignation of a senior official, this said more about our current administration, media, race and gender relations then it did about bad boy Breitbart.
What Read more...
Sex & The City II: Reflections
Whoo-weee Memorial Day Weekend is here and for many of us that means the first real break since January. Now summer is upon us and I can feel New York City finally ease back into a rocksteady sexy sway. This weekend as I remember all those, including my uncles and father, who courageously fought for a country that so often denied them their manhood, their American-hood, I’m looking forward to celebrating life with all of Read more...
The Killing of Aiyana Jones
Damn Detroit Police Department! You burned, shot and killed Aiyana Jones, a little seven year old girl. It’s my sincere hope that the cameras for A&E’s “The First 48” television series that trailed you and filmed the whole incident didn’t spur your heroics! I know reality shows, very well indeed. Please tell me that this wasn’t a performance for the cameras!
These words, believe it or not, are straight outta the mouth of Baby Phat Read more...
Meshell Ndegeocello @Joe’s Pub
I keeps me some Meshell Ndegeocello music on play at my house. The way she uses religious metaphor and political commentary and weaves it into this radical, seductive swirl of melody, bass and lyric always blows my skirt up and wig back. I really like her music and I like her. Like so many Virgos she’s laid back, outspoken and she wears her heart on her sleeve. Last Friday I went to see Meshell, personally Read more...