When Taiwanese-Chinese chef Eddie Huang sat down for an interview with one of NPR’s latest podcasts, he found himself reminiscing about sneakers—specifically, the Air Jordan 5s he’d coveted as a kid after seeing them on another student named Chaz. The restaurateur told the hosts about how he did extra chores for…
Behind Christian Scott at the bar at Jimmy’s Corner in Times Square is a sign that reads “Let’s not discuss politics here.” But that doesn’t stop the 34-year-old New Orleans-raised trumpet player and composer from holding court on the link between the prison industrial complex and modern-day slavery. “This is an issue…
Rapper and producer Elucid’s gritty, experimental debut album, Save Yourself, was recorded in what he calls a “proudly crumbling brownstone” in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn—but his latest project was inspired by a two-month trip to South Africa he took last year. Titled Valley Of Grace, the 11-track…
Chun-hyok Kang is sitting by the window of a third-floor boutique hotel room on 32nd Street in Manhattan. As he looks out at the tall skyscrapers engulfing the bustling city streets, he comments how they seem to block out the sun and keep the mornings in the city chillier than he’s used to. Dressed in a black fitted…
In 1985, Compton-based rapper Toddy Tee released “Batterram,” a song about the Los Angeles Police Department’s use of a modified ex-military tank in the battle against crack dealers in the city. The ominous-looking vehicle was officially known as the V-100 Batterram, and resembled a tank with an oversized battering…
I grew up as a vegetarian, and I still feel a little awkward when I’m invited to a barbecue. Despite happily eating most of the ocean now—and dabbling in a rotisserie chicken on occasion—I can’t help but shy away from the idea of chowing down on red meat thrown on a grill. So, when barbecue season arrives, I end up…
Forget your list of righteous resolutions for the new year—the best self-improvement commitment you can make is to take the plunge and finally move in with your girlfriend or boyfriend. If you do this right, you’ll achieve a transcendental state of domesticated bliss, where every day is warm and cosy, with the…
The holiday season is fully upon us. This means that by now you’ll have likely been bombarded with invites to seasonal parties and themed dinners and social get togethers. While it’s always good for the ol’ ego to be included in such things, this time of year brings with it a heavy feeling of social obligation to…
There comes a point in every hetero relationship when a man considers treating his lady to some expensive undergarments. It might be your way of celebrating her physical form while making it clear just how much you lust after her. It could just be a random surprise gift to show your affection on one of your…
Prince Paul and De La Soul popularized the hip-hop skit, and Dr. Dre turned the concept cinematic, but the nine-man Wu-Tang Clan raised it to the level of esoteric art. Mixing stream-of-blunted-consciousness talk with pulp-fiction plot twists, copious gunshots, and equal parts skewed humor and authentic anger, Wu…
Sorry, but the Jay Z you all worship might not be as good as you think. Or maybe it’s just that he’s easily dwarfed by the guest verses on his own tracks. These days he’s more or less abandoned making new music, instead busying himself with buying up companies and brands and streaming services or, in his latest jape,…
Embrace the moment: One of the most feverishly anticipated hip-hop
albums of the year is finally here, and it’s made up almost entirely of sampled cat sounds. It’s called Meow the Jewels, and you can download it for free right here, and its backstory is now the stuff of internet (and cat) lore. It started when EL-P and…
Beloved as a hip-hop eccentric, Kool Keith is best known for traveling at the speed of thought with the Ultramagnetic MC’s and, as a solo artist, embracing a wide range of brilliant personas, from Dr. Octagon to Black Elvis to Clean Man. Another of those characters goes by the name of Fly Ricky the Wine Taster, who…
I used to live above a Chinese gambling den. The apartment was on 8th Avenue in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. After a work situation went sour, I was looking for a cheap place; the second-floor spot seemed clean and quiet when I looked at it. Come moving day, my new abode suddenly reeked of stale smoke.…
Imagine a future without bugs! Sure, some learned ecologist will probably claim that these eerie tentacled creatures potter around at the bottom of the ecosystem doing important work in the grand scheme of things, but a wholesale elimination of the cockroaches and the mosquitos and the bed bugs of the world is clearly…
At some point in this unblemished modern world of ours, you’re going to receive a letter claiming that you owe someone money. If it’s a real debt from a real bank or collections agency, then, yeah, unfortunately, you’re going to have to pay at least some of it somehow. But there’s also the likelihood that it’s a…
Here is an inclusive list of things rappers like to rap about: weed, money, luxury consumer goods, spending money on weed and luxury consumer goods, places they’ve visited that just so happen to rhyme with whatever they rapped about in the previous line, their exceptional prowess between the sheets, and Billy Joel.…
So you’ve decided to get a pet. Maybe you’re hankering for some furry companionship to perk up the lonesome evenings. Perhaps you’re attempting to plug an emotional gap in your life by saving some of god’s non-edible creatures. Or maybe you just want to strike back at those people clogging up your Instagram feed with…
Beer is the best drink. That has never been in doubt. But sometimes, you're forced to class it up for a date night or go on a health kick, and this is when wine is your friend. More specifically, this is when cat wine is your friend.
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