I love hip-hop in the way one loves the last few seasons of a television show after it has already jumped the shark. Sure, it’s not what it used to be and you’re a little disappointed in the direction it’s taken, but it’s still one of the best things around and you’re thankful for all of the good times. Now that hip-hop has gone completely international it’s hard not to feel a sense of ownership when it comes to rap music — I mean, I am a black American from the Northeast and all. This is why I will laugh at anyone…

Don’t get it twisted – the only criteria for “What The Eff?” Wednesday is that I post something that literally makes you mutter “what the efff?” to yourself. I do it only to be cruel and you know it. That is why you’re going to watch Trololo man, have the tune stuck in your head, and have a mild night terror or two based on this video.

Is it the fact that this man looks like some sort of deviant what makes Trololo scary, or is it the way he seems to be singing from his throat…

People always ask me, “Thembi, how do you find this stuff?” Well, this week I’m going to walk you through the process because there is no reason why a perfectly sane woman such as myself should be asking any questions about Corey Johnson. Please bear with me as I take you through the tragically painful journey of discovering all there is to know about this person.

Everyone who is anyone has a Christmas album, but in a rush to take advantage of our holiday cheer (i.e. trick us into buying bad music just because its Christmas-y) some artists have to cut corners on the cover art. Here are 10 prime examples of such ridiculousness.

10. “Naughty or Nice” – 3LW

The gall of 3LW to release a Christmas album at all (let alone with only two members, one of which is wearing a Christmas fur bra top)

When recording artist Santogold changed her name to Santigold I wasn’t really paying attention. I heard something about there being another artist who already had that name and kept it moving. But did you know that the man behind the name change is a tragically weird infomercial/jeweler/musician from the 1980’s? He brought legal action against Santi for infringement, saying that by her use of the name Santogold she was “crushing [his] hopes of continuing his music and acting career.” Really? ‘Cause I ain’t never heard

As a little girl (and for that matter, as a teenager) I was so self-conscious about letting people see me dance. I think it all goes back to fourth grade, when I was in non-optional after-school jazz and tap classes. Although I possessed natural rhythm, the little outfit that they forced me to wear just wasn’t appropriate for my chubbiness, and after getting teased by a few seventh graders I pretty much put my dance aspirations to rest. The sting still remains, but in adulthood I’ve miraculously lost the ability to be embarrassed, and as a consequence tend to have…

I don’t have anything to say about this.

I’m spent

Who says the entrepreneurial spirit of the black community is dead?

You don’t need a computer, typewriter, or fancy sign from Kinkos to go into business. You also don’t need a command of punctuation mark usage or capital letters. All you need to do is hit the streets with whatever you’ve got, and you’re in the hair business! I had to know – what exactly is “8 Braids” and “8 Extensions?” In a fit of investigative journalism/instigation-driven mocking, I called the number on the flier (I removed it from the photo for this post) pretending to be interested in an appointment. The stylist informed me that 8 braids means 8 cornrows going straight back, likewise for 8 extensions, just with

I’ve been super busy this week with big things happening, but it’s Wednesday so I have to at least give you something to make you go “what the eff?” real quick. It’s times like these that I wish I could talk more about dating and relationships on this blog. The kaleidoscope of young urban professionals, confused hipsters, baby boys, ethnically ambiguous immigrants, babydaddies, bitter divorcees, and aspiring rappers that is the dating spectrum for an overly open-minded thirty-something black woman such as myself is pretty entertaining stuff, but privacy comes first. Instead, check out this dating service sizzle reel from…

There are three types of people on online: the kind who have never heard of Brother Franklin, the kind who have only seen him out of the corner of their eye once or twice, and the kind who watch his videos as often as possible just for a pick-me-up. The purpose of this post is to turn you into that last person, and as usual you’ll either love me or hate me for it.

First a primer: A few months ago a video of a man with a very special feeling about the Lord blazed across the internet.

Please note that this video was posted in May, so the “Remember The Time” combination towards the end was completely