Going into “NorthBound,” I was looking for two things: voice and moments. Admittedly, I’m relatively new to Glenn Waco, only first hearing him tear up features on Mic Capes’ “Rise and Grind.” Between those features, the slew of tracks he released over the summer, and following him on social media, my impression was a young …
When I was a kid, I looked up to Shaq. By the end of college, I wanted to be a cross between Huey P. Newton and Earl Graves. Now that I’m 25, I idolize happiness. I’ve come to realize that life is a bell curve. You come into this world knowing nothing and gravitating to …
You know what’s ironic about Vice’s “Portland Has a Hip-Hop Problem?” Many local artists complain about getting no love in their hometown and how Portland is a bandwagon city. Yet, almost all of the local publications have covered everything in the Vice article better and not received close to the attention or generated as much …
Watching “Long Distance Revolutionary” was humbling. On one hand, it was inspiring and on the other, it was a reminder that if you weren’t a teenage writing prodigy, don’t have a freedom fighting resume, haven’t been shot, wrongly imprisoned and locked up on death row for decades while continuing a prolific journalistic output, then you’re …
Journalism: Short Form Historians and the Art of Documenting Paint Dry Read More »
As I was walked into Safeway this afternoon I passed by an older man with a case of Pabst. The first thought that came to my mind was “sucker juice.” No disrespect to the man but what does it mean when you spend on alcohol? What is the lasting impact? Is it positive? Could …
Last week I took the opportunity to attend the PAALF (Portland African American Leadership Forum) intergenerational forum. Whenever Black people get together to talk, skeptics ask questions like, “Why? What’s the point? What are you actually going to get accomplished?” People have no shortage of excuses for passing up these events. They will focus …
The biggest irony of the Rick Ross “date rape” controversy was that everyone saw a rise in their profile except female MCs. Everyone from Rosa Clemente to Crunk Feminist to Talib Kweli to Jasiri X made their presence felt in the conversation. I even read an article today interviewing children. With everyone talking about what …
Female MCs Get No Shine and I’m Part of the Problem Read More »
Lack of Foresight and Bad Examples While enjoying some pizza earlier this week, a friend posed the question, “What was your favorite part of the LO (Lake Oswego) Woodshop class?” The three of us at the table chuckled. If you missed the joke, it’s because we never had such a class. Our education was based …
This past Sunday I was the guest for an hour on Oregon Voter’s Digest, hosted by Bruce Broussard. I discussed cultural ignorance in education and the role of parenting in helping students thrive in school. Check it out here.
While Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is a widely celebrated national holiday, there is considerably less fanfare for the birthdate of Black icon Malcolm X. “We don’t see events that honor him like Dr. King,” says Karanja Crews, founder of the Journey to Freedom Project (JTF). As a response, JTF is hosting its Malcolm …
Journey to Freedom to Host Malcolm X Birthday Weekend Read More »