Book Review: My Voice is a Great Graduation Present

There isn’t a hip hop head who does not know The Voice of New York. She is an undisputed hip hop radio icon. Angie Martinez is hip hop. As hip hop matures and new radio personalities emerge, Martinez remains atop the list. Second only to Charlamagne …

Music Blessings?

When I was twelve I hated going to school. The only day I found tolerable was Wednesday. On this glorious day I got to leave school to alternatively, volunteer at the nursing home or attend religious classes. Unsurprisingly, the church’s school was not a place …

One More Reason Melissa Harris-Perry is The Public Intellectual We Need!

I awoke with a yearning for The Melissa Harris-Perry Show. I wanted to hear varied voices rap thoughtfully if not poetically and even combatively about all we experienced this week: primaries, surprising endorsements, potential wars, trans outing,  births, deaths… The void is deafening. I filled it …

Empire’s Dilemma

Are Empire‘s creators as lost and misguided as critics believe, or are they capitalizing on social media commentary  and hate viewing? Empire is many things simultaneously: prime-time soap opera, comedy, musical, mystery, family drama… Well into the second year and third season, the show has not quite gelled. It’s …

Thwack, There Goes Scandal’s Likeability and Ratings

Scandal is not the sappy soap opera that is Grey’s Anatomy or the complex story telling that is How to Get Away With Murder. It isn’t even heightened or elevated drama. It is reminiscent of  The Good Wife with echoes of 24, Homeland and even Law and Order. It has become the epitome of …