Ebonics 101: Big L & E. B. White Break Bread

“Euphemisms are misunderstood as mistakes/ But it’s a by-product of the ghetto music we make/” —Canibus, “Poet Laureate II,” Rip the Jacker, 2003. Of the many reasons Hip-Hop music dogged for, one of the most unremarkable is that it teaches bad English—broken English—Ebonics. Critics argue that it celebrates anti-intellectualism, with an emphasis on rhyme rather […]

Rappers: Where Ya’ Ba**s At?

“Half these rap lyrics ain’t thought-provoked/ Just a lot of beef till they get caught and smoked/” —GZA, “Illusory Protection,” Grandmasters. “If I rhyme about home and got descriptive/ I’d make 50 Cent look like Limp Bizkit/” —K’Naan, “What’s Hardcore?,” The Dusty Foot Philosopher.  Nowadays, nothing seems to annoy this writer more than the fecklessness […]

Friday Fashion Feature: Meet Miguel Perdomo, the new face of Sean John

Known as “the first Dominican Male Supermodel”, Miguel Perdomo sort of “fell into” modeling about five years ago.    Miguel Perdomo   After repeatedly being stopped and asked whether he was a model, he decided to try his hand at it.   Chris Collins, a Ralph Lauren model and friend of Miguel’s, helped the aspiring […]