Black Girls/Black Women Are From the Future: Something Men Like Rick Ross Need to Know

As you may have heard, Rick Ross came out with the controversial line from his latest song, “U.O.E.N.O.” : “Put molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it / I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it.” A few days later, he addressed the lyrics with an “apology” […]

Modern Griots Reviews: Nick Cave’s Magical Horses in Heard.NY

As Ebony celebrated Katherine Dunham, Nick Cave was featuring dozens of Alvin Ailey dancers wearing 30 colorful horse “soundsuits” in his public performance piece at Grand Central station, HEARD•NY. Presented by Creative Time and MTA Arts, the 30 minute performances included a grazing pastoral music and dance sequence followed by a rhythmic choreographed dance, “crossings” […]

Modern Griots Reviews: The Burning Bush by Kenya Wright

“Motherpounder!” That left me speechless! And by speechless, I am talking about Kenya Wright’s sequel to Fire Baptized, The Burning Bush. In this novel, Wright takes readers deeper into the fantasy world of the Santeria Habitat and main character, Lanore Vesta, expanding on the history and relationships of the beings who live there. Opening with […]

Moving on the Wires: Roxe15, Afronauts, Donations, Brooklyn Museum, Oya Film, Logo…

* Artistic Freedom Ltd. is producing Roxie15, a short film about a “virtual reality programmer working on the project she hopes will change her life. Things are good, until the software she has created is infected with a virus. Things go from bad to worse when the virus comes after her.” The film takes place […]

Black Girls/Black Women Are From the Future: Thoughts on LaBelle and “Lady Marmalade”

When some think of the song “Lady Marmalade,” one of their first thoughts is that it is a song about a New Orleans prostitute. On the surface it may be, but the song is much more nuanced and has deeper meaning beyond that. Listening to the song, I realized how ambiguous it is. First, the […]

Otherworldly Videos: Misha B/Mutu & Santigold/Jawwaad

Misha B– “Here’s To Everything (Ooh La La)” Wangechi Mutu + Santigold – “The End of Eating Everything” Preview (Interview here) co-released by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University and MOCAtv on YouTube. The 8-minute video (co-released by the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University and MOCAtv on YouTube) stars Santigold as […]

Modern Griots Spotlight: Nino

Last weekend, I attended the Africa Now! concert at The Apollo, which featured performances from FreshlyGround, Lokua Kanza, Nneka and Blitz the Ambassador. While all the performances were great (FreshlyGround’s silly, energetic dancing, Lokua Kanza tender singing and Nneka’s fierce honesty), the standout performance of the night was Blitz the Ambassador’s with his simulation of […]

Modern Griots Review: Arin Maya and The Imagination

“Drifting on a memory/Don”t give a care whoever sees me” is how Arin Maya and The Imagination begin Her Imaginings and that is how the album sounds — like a soulful drifting on a jagged, dislocating yet transformative electronic sonic journey. For example, the space traveling track “Get Outta Here,” Arin Maya sings in a […]

Black Girls/Black Women Are from the Future: Free Angela

Angela Davis is more than an afro and if you think wearing an afro is radical and revolutionary enough, then you do not know much about Angela Davis’ life. Having grown up in Birmingham and knowing the girls who were murdered in the Birmingham church bombing, Davis seemed destined to want to make a change […]

Behind the Mask: Mindless Behavior

As I get older, one way that gauge how old I am is boy bands/boy groups. At 22, I am that crux where I am old enough to be over them and still young enough to swoon over them without that much shame. I still remember singing along to B2K and B5, and that was […]