Aliya S. King

5/21/19

Broken Leg Syndrome: Why Don’t We Take Meds for Our Mental Health?

For twenty-five years, I’ve had to work through anxiety, depression and all sorts of mental health stuff. What have…

1/10/18

I Just Celebrated Christmas for the 1st Time in My Whole Entire Life, and I Lived to Tell the Tale

Just a few weeks ago, I celebrated Christmas for the first time. Ever.

12/20/17

I Quit Drinking Alcohol Years Ago, but Why Can’t I Stop Drinking Soda?

It’s been almost two months since I drank. I think about relapsing every single day. I want the chill in my hand. I…

12/7/17

I Hate the Collection of Pills I Need to Take Each Day ... but I Love Them Because They’re Keeping Me Sane (and Alive!)

There are many things I hate about Crazytown. I don’t like the stigma that comes with living here. The cost of…

12/4/17

It Took 20 Years to Share My Mental Health Struggles. My Silence Could Have Killed Me

This past weekend, there were reports that Lowell Hawthorne, founder of Golden Krust, committed suicide. Early…

11/9/17

Daylight Saving Time Is a Depression-Inducing Devil, so Here’s What I Do to Keep It From Keeping Me Down

Greetings from CrazyTown! These are dangerous times for those of us who live in CrazyTown. Let me explain.

10/3/17

Please Stop Assuming Stephen Paddock Must Have Been ‘Mentally Ill’

I used to be deathly afraid of being outed about my mental-health struggles. What if I got a speeding ticket and…

9/26/17

My Battle With Depression (and the Pills and Therapy Necessary to Defeat It): A Coming-Out Story

A recent Facebook post is the reason for this story.

9/18/17

My Marriage Is Over. Most of My Friends Don’t Know

How do you announce that your 10-year marriage is over? Do you change your status on Facebook? Write a cryptic post…

8/1/17

I Thought Day Parties Were Dumb And Too "Millennial" Until I Had One Of My Own

When I hear the words day party, I instantly imagine women in strapless dresses from Anthropologie and dudes wearing…

7/26/17

True Confessions: I'm Never Saying That Word That Begins With "N" And Ends With "Igga" Again

Do you still say nigga? I do.

7/21/17

R. Kelly, Usher, Kevin Hart: I Suspected. But What Was I Supposed to Do?

In the late ’90s, I was working at an urban entertainment magazine. R. Kelly’s career was scorching hot, as it had…

6/21/17

Mobb Deep’s Prodigy and Sickle Cell: What You Need to Know About a Disease That Takes Down the Young

Forty years ago, Albert “Prodigy” Johnson of Mobb Deep, who died Tuesday at age 42, would likely never have had a…

6/21/17

The Cosby Trial Reminded Me Why I’ll Never Seek Justice

I have been sexually assaulted twice in my life.

6/13/17

Blame It on the … Quaaludes? Guilty or Not, Bill Cosby Still Preferred Sex With Intoxicated Women

The drug could be injected, liquefied or taken in tablet form. When combined with alcohol, the effects, including…

4/21/17

‘I Am Something That You’ll Never Comprehend’: Defining the Legacy of Prince

I still have a hard time processing the idea that Prince is no longer here. Now, I was never a super fan. I never…

2/20/17

VH1’s The Breaks Holds Up a Mirror to the Early Days of Hip-Hop

In the late ’90s, I went to a meeting at one of the biggest record labels. I was scheduled to do a quick interview…

3/31/16

Aliya S. King's True Hip-Hop Stories: That Time Faith Evans Had Faith In Me

Eleven years ago, in the summer of 2005, I was given an assignment: a cover story on Faith Evans. She had a new…

3/24/16

Aliya S. King's True Hip-Hop Stories: That Time Ex-Drug Kingpin Frank Lucas Wanted To Marry Me

In 2007, I was asked to meet with ex-drug kingpin Frank Lucas as he interviewed writers to work with him on his…

3/17/16

Aliya S. King's True Hip-Hop Stories: That Time I Asked Ja Rule's Wife About His Affair With Karrine Steffans

In 2000, I wrote a cover story on Ja Rule for The Source. Ja Rule and his then-girlfriend Aisha, high school…

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