The NBA duo left the Brooklyn Nets in a newer condition than before but is that better? — When I was growing up in Canarsie, riding the hour-plus daily commute to school, I stopped for a hearty breakfast at the bagel shop. The bagel shop was next to Original Pizza. Original Pizza neighbored the Canarsie Triplex. I learned to love stories and writing when I was inside of…

What the conflict between sports talking heads says about the state of intra-racial discourse — Robert DeNiro movies tend to break the mold because despite a gruff, macho exterior, his performances always reveal the soft spots of manly men. I was watching The Score, a heist movie starring DeNiro and one of the great character actors to play opposite him, Ed Norton Jr. I’d also…

On the superstar creator’s recent backlash and the burden of antiblack thought — I love Mindy Kaling’s work so much that it was hard to tell the obvious at first. I was so enthralled by the creative spirit who would dare embody Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in a 2003 stage play called “Matt and Ben” that I overlooked her sharp focus on…

What the Ye interview says about “platforms” — After starting a podcast three months ago, I got obsessed with YouTube. That’s how I get when I launch a project. I learn how the process works and remake it with my style. But I’m lucky enough to have some background on the platform through work. Companies building a presence…

I’ve been around long enough to know what pays. — The Part About the Blogger I know I’ve been on the internet too long when every article in my feed is about how to write better, longer, faster, and stronger. My mushy mind succumbs to the kind of clickbait I’ve spent years learning to decode and remix for media jobs. “Easy” this. “Secret” that. The…

I’m working on a story that needs to flow like these hip-hop manifestos — Memoirs dig up the nasty gristle of each neglected gut part and hold it up to merciless, sterile light. They’re distinct from biographies because they don’t retell the timeline of a life. That would be boring and unfeeling, like the original intro I wrote for this essay. (Read it below.)…

I tried to put the reins on big emotions, but it was a disaster. — I have to admit: I started messing with the idea of open relationships because I’m indecisive and greedy. I loved having multiple partners, with all their scents and their histories and their interests. I couldn’t get enough of finding new sexual kinks, adventures, and curricula. I could, at my most…

How I learned to appreciate the past and the culture around me — I was talking to my mom on the phone in the wake of this year’s parade. I don’t know how long it’s been since she attended, but I’d guess a couple decades. The Labor Day Parade is a young person’s affair: you dress up, and you dance until your legs…

Malcolm X also has thoughts on being named in Hov songs — Jay-Z “We not gone stop. Hip-hop is young. We still growing. We not falling for that trick-nology the public puts out there now. Before it was the American Dream. ‘Pull yourself up by your bootstraps. You can make it in America’ — all these lies that America told us our…