[That's me second from left at Nerd Camp, summer '95. No, seriously, I literally went to math and science camp.]

My tenth grade year was 1994-1995, arguably the best year in music. It was hard to even narrow…

By now you may have seen the news item about Marlon Jackson and his investment in a Nigerian slavery-themed amusement park. I had too much to say and I just didn’t have the heart to start delving into the Jacksons and their weirdness, so I’m glad for this week’s theme! I do love the Jacksons, I really, really do, I just don’t always have the patience for the madness that results from getting yelled at for leaving towels in the pool or whatever else it was that Joe Jackson cracked those kids’ hides for – the surgery, the unreasonable drama, the ill-advised hair.

When I think about New Edition my mind goes straight to the era that I was most able to enjoy – the early to mid-nineties. By that time, the group had broken up, reformed, and remixed. I had a crush…

You know what I miss? Back in the day when someone said anything about Vanessa Williams and you could be like hunh? Who? Oh, you mean Vanessa L. Williams? Not the one who was in New Jack City and Soul…

I am so glad to be back to Old School Fridays, and with such a sassy theme too! I’m going to take “Too Hot for Radio” to mean any song that’s so racy and inappropriate that it never made it…

I’ve been a Scrooge so far this year, so hopefully posting some of my favorite Christmas jams will get me into the spirit.

In retrospect, TLC’s “Sleigh Ride” from 1993 sounds like straight parody. Between that soon-to-be classic TLC dance…

Is Wu-Tang Clan a band? Let’s say that they are, at least in that “band of merry Negroes” sense a la Robin Hood. Otherwise I’d have to bore you with my nerdy superfan obsession with Queen and the life of…

When it comes to black entertainers, there are so many double and triple threats that its no suprise when actors release albums or vice versa. As I’ve discussed before, the black sitcom has talent showcasing left and right, and…

It’s a good thing that I’m secure in my old-headedness or I may have been forced to lie about my age. For the record, I will turn thirty in January, which means I was born in 1979. That’s right,…

I wasn’t kidding about the carpal tunnel situation but themes like these are the stuff that WWTD is made of, so I’m going against doctor’s orders for this one post.

So many songs were big hits on the hip-hop/r&b charts…

Duets are special for their instant cheesiness. Sure the nineties ushered in the r&b/hip-hop remix (thanks Method Man and Mary J.), but when it comes down to it a real duet is deliciously corny when two singers pour their hearts…

Yeah that’s right, I called him Prince and not “The Artist,” because he really got on my nerves today. As much as I’m inclined to blame the person who chose such an impossible theme for this week’s OSF, the real…

Between, say, the ages of ten and sixteen, there were certain songs that would come on the radio in the presence of my parents and completely embarass me. “I Wanna Sex You Up,” by Color Me Badd, “I Want Your…

Whenever I drive an hour or more I needs me some Adult Contemporary. I’m talking about those songs that you don’t ever remember being on the charts but you know the lyrics by default. There’s a reason why Adult Contemporary…

A few weeks ago at a barbecue the subject of 90′s r&b came up and I immediately inserted myself into a hearty debate regarding the merits of one of my favorite girl groups: Xscape. This guy was laughing at the…