Hypothetically answering, what would you do if your spouse decided to put headstones on your cemetery plot with your names on them and you were still alive? Welcome to the Rileys is a film that manages to create questions through a slow paced, carefully crafted narrative using characters who don’t require a complete understanding. It…
Buy Now: https://amzn.to/3lwPn7Z Stieg Larsson writes with an attention to detail of an investigative journalist seeking to create a narrative that educates and entertains. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest is an excellent work of fiction that has the mimesis and verisimilitude that college professors speak of when addressing works in a literature course….
Buy Now: https://amzn.to/3lCt80k A couple of days ago, I did a grand disservice to Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I sandwiched a review of the book into the middle of a social commentary on whether Blacks read White books. Honestly, who gives a damn? I know what I do give a damn…
While most people interested in education saw Waiting For Superman during its theatrical release, I often fail to catch any new release. I often wait for Netflix or the DVD release. I have made it a point to watch any film that deals with the shortcomings of, or the success of schools at the high…
Buy Now: https://amzn.to/3MGruH6 Obviously if I’m writing a quick review of a “White” book then Black people do read White books. An interesting thing does exist in literature, however. Typically, a White author is only approached by Blacks while they are in college. Introduction to Lit courses are filled with the rich literary history of…
Certain artists generate a response that makes you honored to hear what they have to say. As I grow old in Hip-Hop, I’m starting more and more to seek out artists that mesh all of the elements together: dope tracks, lyricism, creativity and inspiration. In mainstream music the heart is missing. You can’t listen to…
Hip-Hop has had a black eye for so long that often emcees who drop an LP get love although they are actually pretty mediocre. Now I’m not saying that guys like Wiz, Currensy or Wale aren’t dropping new age gems, but they are not quite there yet in terms of dropping classics. An album that…
Most movie viewers are hedonistic in their approach to film. Unless the film satisfies some base connection most people only watch what looks like them. Often this leads to a skewed perception of what a great film is and can be. I find that to truly watch and care for film is to seek out…
Every now and then there a no words needed when telling you about a music artist. While hitting up Okayplayer I ran across this video and in a way the artistic value of this music and video can’t be rated. So, with no further discussion take a few minutes and listen to this. It’s refreshing…
I taught film study courses for about two years. In the process I have to admit I have forced my opinion and film choices on students. While I think I have great taste in films, my students didn’t seem to agree, but I can’t get enough of Slingblade, Ghost Dog, Eraserhead, which a few of…
The Illadelph crew that delivered classics like “What They Do” and “You Got Me” released an album that continues to push the boundaries sonically and lyrically. Black Thought is the most underrated emcee ever. His skill with Questlove’s construction and the infamous Roots band has never, in my opinion, failed to deliver a classic. While…
Alright, I’m sure you’re wondering what the hell is Pyaar? Pyaar means Love. This film is a Bollywood creation and has all of the characteristics associated with the genre: Outbursts of music, corny acting and length of the story, but I’m assuming that you have watched a Bollywood film before. To create clarity, I will…
YES is the fourth album from Candadian emcee K-Os. I discovered him a while back I think it was in the early part of this decade. The name of the song was crabbucket and I thought it exemplified the mentality of many of my people. There were other songs that slip my mind right now…
If you haven’t seen this one, invest eight minutes into this and thenmake sure you add Dwele’s youtube page by clicking here
The nuances of life become ritual and in adulthood, the experiences of the past are forgotten. This is what makes the coming-of-age story an attractive tome. In watching the uncomfortable maturation of the teen, or a child, the reality of being an adult is challenged. Often the reading of a book that deals with the…
I have had countless discussions with artists about the responsibility of the creator of images and sounds. In these conversations, I have found the foundation for my understanding of the importance of art. I have also realized that my ideas about how art should be used, are very constrained. I think that art should serve…
Dan Brown has crafted several novels that resulted in a massive number of sales and in all honesty created an industry in tourism. His novels Angels and Demons and The Davinci Code sparked tours and ignited a fascination with symbols, myths, conspiracies and controversy. The Lost Symbol, released in 2009 has not generated the same…
The For Colored Girls reinterpretation by Tyler Perry has seen countless analysis and criticisms. I even took the time to discuss the film after watching the original play. Click here to read that analysis. My original discussion was that this play should not have been recreated. I made this decision because after watching the original…
I had a great conversation with Prof. Gee Joyner about the responsibility of the emcee. (we should have recorded that one) We finally got to a point in the conversation where we basically analyzed the problem of the Black artists and if there is a responsibility that inherently exists because of the skin we are…
Racism creates a vast array of emotions when presented in American society. It seems that the US has the need to own the divisive treatment that is created by people and their personal, social, and learned hatred of other cultures. The US however finds it difficult to actually analyze and create narratives discussing race. People…
This was originally posted in 2011 to the site and is a little dated but is still very relevant. I eventually captured all of these points and place them into One Hour To Wealth: Your Great Idea is Valuable…Get Up and Write It Down!Excuse the baggy gym shorts, lol. I was invited by Dr. Frances Fabian…
Buy Now: https://amzn.to/3MIVJx5 After reading the Millenium Trilogy (Girl Who Played with Fire, etc.) I needed a book to read. I read the first Dexter: Darkly Dreaming Dexter a few months back and enjoyed the first book which was so unlike the show that I actually forgot what the show was about. So I went…
