I am not religious, but I love Gospel music. It’s funny, I find religion interesting, I just don’t have any religious feeling. The only time I come close to understanding what people get out of religion is when I’m listening to Gospel. I’ve always wanted to attend a black church just to listen to the…
Disney and Lucasfilm just announced a new animated series set to debut in the fall called Star Wars Resistance. It is set just a little before The Force Awakens and will follow a pilot named Kazuda Xiono working for the Resistance against the First Order. Apparently it will also feature characters from the movies like…
President Trump and French President Macron had a meeting and a joint press conference followed by this presidency’s first state dinner. That is such a normal thing that it’s barely worth a comment. Two heads of state get together, discuss things, tell the press about it and have a fancy party. It happens all the…
I’ve always had a bit of a problem separating things like music by genres. In a recent piece I wrote, I made the statement, “I tend to think of all worthwhile American music as being a type of blues.”* I knew when I typed it that the statement would bother some people. People have a…
“My sister is always talking about God and heaven and how Jesus has a mansion waiting for us after we die, so I asked her: if heaven is so great, what’s the point of living here on earth?” she said. “Let’s just cut to the chase,” I responded. “What’s the point of living, period?” That’s…
My name is Jam Stunna. I was born Jamil Rashad Ragland on October 21st, 1985. Names are a funny thing, because they determine so much of who you are and how the world relates to you, yet you have almost no say in picking your name. Your parents say, “You’re a Jamil,” so I’m a…
I cried during the scene in Black Panther when Erik Killmonger spoke with his father, because he was expressing the hurt that I’ve had so much trouble putting into words. Erik’s rage is overblown and genocidal for the sake of a Hollywood blockbuster, but that rage is so real and so raw for so many…
