The first season of The Apprentice brought with it an impressive black woman (Omarosa Manigault) who deconstructed her brilliance to pacify an audience that seeks (if not requires) black women to fit a particular prototype on television. Omarosa embodied what Patricia Hill Collins would designate the black lady, a black woman whose intellect and success […]
Category: Pop Culture
Crunk Mic Check (Elle Vie)
We’ve been focusing on self-care a lot over here at the Crunk Feminst Collective and one of the ways I practice self-care is by listening to music that makes me feel good. One of my favorite new artists to bump is Elle Vie. She’s coming out of Canada and she is spitting hot fire! Her […]
On Ashley Judd and the Politics of Citation
A couple of folks were asking for a crunk response to Ashley Judd’s memoir passages and the resulting controversy. Judd is being called to task for singling out rap music as the “contemporary soundtrack of misogyny.” You can read her words here. There are lots of responses that you can check out but I want […]
How Chris Brown is Effing Up My Sex Life: A B-Side to Dating While Feminist
For the last month or so, I have been entertaining a new Friend. This brother is cute, sensitive, ambitious, educated, knowledgeable, adventurous and funny. For these reasons and others, he could most definitely get it. Sounds great, right? Yes. And then Chris Brown happened. The day after the recent shamtabulousness occurred, I told Friend of […]
I Will Follow – A Movie Review
My bestie Yolo and I decided to see the movie I Will Follow after hearing rave reviews from friends. We were a bit taken aback because the movie was well… good! There were queer characters not caricatures, complex family dynamics, and emotional tenderness. We liked it so much we made a video blog documenting our […]
The Game Rewind (and Revise)
Last night, CF Asha and I chatted about BETs The Game. We discussed our overall opinion of the series as a whole and the Tuesday (3/1/11) episode specifically. As Crunk Feminist we pay particular attention to the linkages of race, gender, and popular culture and ask for the writers and producers to do better. We […]
On Watoto From The Nile- Letter to Lil Wayne
This musical open letter to Lil’ Wayne is getting lots of love! I want to join the chorus and give a big ol’ YAY to black girls creating media and saying what’s on their minds! Speaking back to Wayne’s misogyny is super important! That said, I wonder about the limits of such a message. Steve […]
The Zen of Young Money: Being Present to the Genius of Black Youth
Guest post by Dr. Alexis Pauline Gumbs, friend of CFC, Wonder Twin of me 🙂 I fly with the stars in the skies, I am no longer trying to survive, I believe that life is a prize, But to live doesn’t mean you’re alive. Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living with Fearlessness and […]
Why I Am Watching “The Game”
“It’s so crazy how these fans are so embedded and … attached to these story lines,” Tia Mowry said. “They actually think Melanie and Derwin are real.” I was one of the 7.7 million viewers who tuned in to watch The Game’s resurrection on BET last Tuesday. And I will also be in the number, […]
Really Regis?!
Dear Regis Philbin, Please watch this video of YOU, Regis Philbin, co-host of Regis and Kelly, SMACKING NICKI MINAJ’S ASS! I’ll wait… No I won’t, min 3:40 Other Crunk women of color have waxed poetic about this so I won’t belabour the point. It doesn’t matter that her last name is Minaj or that she’s […]