urban | male | perspective
For a certain generation of young, professional folks of color, Jay-Z’s lyrics have provided more than just entertainment. Many of us, born on blocks our friends never made it off of, raised in an era where our older brothers, uncles, and sometimes our fathers were hustlers, but reared to understand the value of educating ourselves [...]
Editors Note: Recently, it was announced that Jay-Z has decided to sign on and executive produce Terrance Nance’s film An Oversimplification of Her Beauty. We here at SBM are big fans of the film, so much so that we wrote about it last February. With all the new interest in the film accompanying Jay’s cosign – we [...]
**Editor’s Note: Exactly one year ago, on April 11, 2012 – I wrote the post below. One year later, my little guy is here, happy and healthy. It’s bugged out reading thoughts I had about fatherhood from before I was actually a father. Figured I’d re-share this with you all today as I reflect on [...]
What is success? What does it look like. Is it something we can touch and grab and hold, or is it something we just feel? I spent the first seven years of my professional life chasing success, but it was only until recently that I was able to really accept what it meant for me. [...]
There are moments in life for which perfect preparation is impossible – moments where, no matter how much effort and energy you put into getting your world ready for its alteration, it is impossible to truly be ready for just how dramatic the change you are about to experience will be. I am standing at [...]
On February 21, 1965 El Hajj Malik El Shabazz was assassinated at the Audubon Ballroom in Harlem. Convicted of his murder were Talmadge Hayer (also known as Thomas Hagan, now known as Mujahid Halim) Norman 3X Butler (now known as Muhammad Abdul Aziz) and Thomas 15X Johnson (now known as Khalil Islam). I want to [...]
I felt this one. More than the passing of any other entertainer or celebrity, Whitney Houston’s death resonated with me in a way I never would have imagined possible. I started and stopped this post three different times, each time trying to figure out exactly what it was about Whitney that made her, for me, [...]
So, there’s a black guy on Girls, maybe… sort of. Anyone who’s followed the show since its inception knows that it has faced much scrutiny over its lack of diversity. As Girls season 2 on HBO gets underway, that lack of diversity is tackled head on in the character of Sandy, played by Donald Glover (also [...]
In a relatively short period of time, Scandal on ABC has become one of television’s most watched and most discussed shows. It is the number one show in its time slot for the 18-49 demographic and with that demographic also being the most social media friendly, the show is almost always a trending topic on [...]
