I've seen some TRULY F*^KED-UP bills trying to get passed in the U.S., but this recent piece of legislation in Tennessee might be the most RIDICULOUS and ANTI-INTELLECTUAL BS I've ever heard of in my life (no hyperbole). Sen. Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville) and Rep. Vance Dennis (R-Savannah) are sponsoring a bill (Senate Bill 132, House Bill 261) that requires TANF payments (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) for parents and caregivers to be REDUCED if their child(ren) fails to maintain "satisfactory progress" in ... Read More

I love hip-hop with all of my heart. I know many rappers are studio gangsters and that's fine with me, because as long as their music is hot I choose to exercise my own personal brand of cognitive dissonance in the face of any perceived wangsta-isms. But there's something about Rick Ross being shot that does NOT appeal to the same feeling of dread that washed over me after hearing about the shootings of Tupac, Biggie, Big L, Freaky Tah, Mac Dre ... Read More

When I first heard about the children being slaughtered in Newtown, CT, my heart instantly went out to all the parents who had kids in that school. CNN was blaring news about the tragedy all day, and I'm sure MANY of the parents learned about the shooting from the TV before they were notified by the school. Hell, they found out about the tragedy before anyone knew if it was their child who was still breathing or lying dead in a classroom. ... Read More

Every time I attempt to clean up my language and be nice, some DOUCHEBAG manages to hop out the shadows and take DOUCHBAGGERY to new and previously unexplored levels. Last week, after President Obama was re-elected, republican-voting Papa John's CEO John Schnatter took to Twitter to announce he will be reducing his workers hours in light of Barack returning to office. Schnatter says it's because Obamacare mandates employees working more than 30 hours a week must be covered by their employer's health ... Read More

As we ALL should know, Barack Obama was re-elected as the president of the United States on Tuesday night, and after an exhausting and stressful day of awaiting the results, he delivered an amazing speech declaring his pride in his nation, staffers and most importantly, his family. Before addressing the nation and the serious issues they need to tackle, he began by giving a special shout out to his wife Michelle, and his daughters Sasha and Malia [which he typically does]. He ... Read More

A few weeks ago BET launched TJ Holmes show "Don't Sleep" which I have been SLEEPING ON since it's debut and will continue to do so, because the fact is, after catching snippets of it, it's NOT the kind of "quality programming" I'm looking for. What I found interesting though, is the statement BET's president, Debra Lee, made about that program and the state of Black shows on that network. Read More

In the Black community there are two very prevalent camps: The IGNORANT and The INFORMED. The Ignorant is comprised of Black folk like the ones who make fun of Gabby Douglas' hair, folks who bleach their skin to look whiter while framing dark skin as a horrible and ugly quality, and folks who have no general idea of WHY they should be proud of their "Blackness." On the other hand, you have the INFORMED, who have an appreciation for all shades of ... Read More

"I got the Forbes on my living room floor And I'm still talking to the poor, nigga I want more TIME's most influential, was impressive 'Specially since I wasn't in the artist section Had me with the builders and the titans Had me right with Rupert Murdoch Billionaire boys and some dudes you never heard of Word up on Madison Ave is I'm a cash cow Word down on Wall Street, homie, you get the cash out IPO Hov, no need for ... Read More

Recently, Debbie Allen [the producer-director of A Different World] tweeted about bringing the show back to life, which STILL has the Black community buzzing at the idea of actually getting some honourable, intellectual and hilarious TV back on the air to combat the ratchetness of reality TV and the overall lack of positive Black imagery on mainstream television. As much as I WANT to believe in this idea, the reality is "A Different World" can NOT and will NOT be the magnificent, ... Read More

Yesterday I came across one of the most upsetting, angering and frustrating stories I've read THIS year. Apparently, this fall Nike plans to release the "Lebron X" sneaker [pictured above] for $315 making it the most expensive shoe in Nike history. Upon hearing this, the National Urban League [i.e. the Skip Bayless' of community organizations] decided to GO IN on Nike for charging so much for shoes which "encourages" parents to spend their money on a worthless symbol of materialism instead of ... Read More