Homo sapiens sapien

29-year-old human being. I type a lot, read a lot, ask a lot of questions, talk too much, but learn just as much from listening. Flawed, but growing. Slight music addict and sports fanatic. "It pays to tell the truth, dog, it only makes sense." - Jeezy

[atribecalledme]

My Picks For the 2016 Pitchfork Readers’ Poll

View my ballot in Pitchfork’s 2016 Readers’ Poll

Side note: Man, y’all are really still on this site.

[atribecalledme]

hey tumblr

You probably don’t remember who I am, or why you follow me. but here I am with my basically annual post on tumblr dot com. I return to say this:

I really wish I wasn’t such a self-loathing person that bought into the narrative of “nice guys finish last” in my early years of college. I was looking at some old tweets, as I tried to rid my feed of the musings of my 18, 19 and 20-year-old self, and I found that I was just an idiot.

I let popular culture and some pockets of the internet (like tumblr) totally warp my brain into thinking that inaction was a virtue and that someday my indie-DragonBallZ loving-alternative hip-hop appreciating-cute-mildly tattooed princess would just fall into my lap with a “you’re not like those other guys” on her lips.

But there’s absolutely no aspect of life that works that way. If you want things, effort is always required.

I type all this to say that I wish I had learned that much sooner. And if you’re one of those people sitting around still thinking that the world is out to get you and that people will be drawn to you by osmosis well...that’s just not how it goes.

I know that chance, serendipity and all of life’s unknowable forces are very real and people find happiness in varied ways, but there’s always more to be done. So, if you’re anything like I was, go and revisit some of your old posts and hopefully you can laugh and sigh at your naivete.

[atribecalledme]

Top Cinco

Saw Chris Rock's latest film with my parents and asked them for their Top 5:

Dad 1. Run-D.M.C. 2. Sugarhill Gang 3. LL Cool J 4. Notorious B.I.G. 5. Kool Moe Dee

Mom 1. Eve 2. Queen Latifah 3. Missy Elliott 4. LL Cool J 5. Notorious B.I.G. (Because I can understand what he's saying)

[atribecalledme]

Child Rebel Soldier never amounted to much, but I will always appreciate this take on "The Eraser."

[atribecalledme]

Towa Tei- Funkin' for Jamaica 

[atribecalledme]

Towa Tei- Technova (La Em Copacabana)

[atribecalledme]

"Speaking of which, got a leash and wish just to rock you miss."

[atribecalledme]

i remember spending inordinate amounts of time on this site

constantly scrolling

looking for some kind of solace

a laugh

a thought-provoking bit of randomness

years later i don't know if i've found any of those things

if i'm any closer

if anything posted on this page will make any more sense of what came before it

if that red pop-up will hold something new and meaningful

understandable

worth relating to

i just type

i type for a living

i type for enjoyment

i type to continue detrimental habits

hoping that one day a keystroke--or two, or two thousand

will help me be someone better than the words before this

[theladwrites]

The 2004 movie Brown Sugar features a repeated question from Sanaa Lathan’s character, “So, when did you fall in love with Hip-Hop?”

It is both literal and a metaphor for her character’s relationship with the male lead played by Taye Diggs. In the literal sense my answer is 2004 when I first...

[atribecalledme]

Hey, I wrote words.

[atribecalledme]

Every time I compose a tweet or status to complain about something, I picture the images from Syria.

[theladwrites]

Between working and needing time to “process” and let the smoke clear, after a week I’m ready to share some thoughts on “the greatest words that have ever rhymed and not rhymed and then were put to a beat and rapped by a human being ever, oh man, in 2013.”

The reality of that description is...

[atribecalledme]

Boys With Autism Or ADHD More Prone To Overuse Video Games

Video games can be a haven from the world, and it's easy to imagine that they would appeal to children who struggle with social interaction. Boys with

[passedoutintheradiolab-blog]

Passed Out In the Radio Lab wishes to extend its sincerest condolences to the stripey couch. We will mourn its passing for many Facebook threads and Alumni Weekends to come. And while the couch is gone, we are confident its spirit will endure through the next 100 years of Columbia Journalism School. May its replacement bring many more generations of J-Schoolers to the brink of blowing deadlines.

Update: An earlier version of this post contained spelling errors, because we are idiots.

[atribecalledme]

[atribecalledme]

Man oh man, CNN's prime time programming has not made me feel much better about Saturday's verdict. 

[theladwrites]

Woah.

It’s the only word I could find when the verdict was read that freed George Zimmerman and incensed a great deal of the American and even international populace.

It’s still tough to find the proper way to express my feelings about this situation. Mainly because I’m a journalist by trade, so...

[theladwrites]

Shawn Carter has released a new album. That statement has been event-worthy since 2006 or so. Ever since his brief retirement from the rap game post “The Black Album," Jay-Z has done a lot to become larger than life. Presiding over Def Jam, creating labels via concert promotion companies, having...