The day I finally met Assane Dramé in person was Saturday, September 25th. We’d been talking about finally linking for what felt like ages, work schedules and globe halting pandemics kept everything at a standstill. We went to Pinky’s Hotbox, a chicken spot in Torrance on Crenshaw. After a ‘You…
I remember exactly where I was when I found out Mac Miller died. I was sinking into a leather recliner, enjoying a mundane day off as I awaited my little brother to come home from school. My mind was rotting on a game of NBA 2K, a lousy excuse to…
T/W: Discussion of Suicide
I used to think something was wrong with me when I was depressed. Everyone was playing these upbeat songs and here I was, deflated and lifeless playing “Heavenly Father” by Isaiah Rashad on repeat. I didn’t quite understand what I was feeling, what it meant, or…
Perhaps the most interesting part about wrestling is its characters. The variety of daredevil stunts and stiff strikes pop off the screen but they are nothing without a distinct look. In a majority of Western wrestling, the ability to understand a wrestler’s motivations and to grasp their origins is essential…
Almost everyone knows where they were when Frank Ocean’s Blonde came out. It was right at the end of an often mythologized summer of 2016. It was transformative for me. I moved out of Lakeland, Florida after my sophomore year of high school as my family packed our bags in…
The idea of pop stardom is heavily reliant on audience inclusion. To bring an artist’s journey right in front of them. To isolate the listener is to disengage them. There’s a natural inkling to embrace the artist, to understand their origins and be apart of the ride. Drake is who…
Stagnancy is the greatest enemy of progression. In any profession, hobby, or just life itself, the act of stillness will drive the most levelheaded creative crazy. To take the next step takes extraordinary courage through a small pivot in approach or a leap of faith into the unknown. LeBron had…
Music sticks with people for many reasons. In its simplest form, it’s about the music; some sort of chemical reaction in the brain makes even the dumbest song one of our favorites. How the ears responds positively or negatively to a set of chords, a particular tone or a repetitive…
