Black Americana | Substack
Black Americana
History. Glamour. Culture.
Hits Fade. Institutions Endure.
The next era of Black American music will be shaped as much by infrastructure as by artistry.
Jun 23 • Black Americana
The Debt Old Habits Collect
Building wealth is one transformation. Building character is another.
Jun 16 • Black Americana
Lizzo and Millennial Misery
The Generation That Finally Has to Grow Up
Jun 9 • Black Americana
Can VIBE Come Home Again?
The magazine is back in print. Whether it can reclaim its mission is another question.
Jun 2 • Black Americana
The NAACP and the Plank in Its Own Eye
Why Black America Needs Strategy, Not Symbolism
May 26 • Black Americana
Selective Smoke: The Kevin Hart Conundrum
Black media, celebrity power, and the difference between support and submission
May 19 • Black Americana
Got 'til It's Gone
On preservation, power, and cultural memory
May 12 • Black Americana
Geography Isn't Strategy
May 5 • Black Americana
Heavy Is the Crown
Beauty, Brilliance, and the Burden We Don’t See
Apr 28 • Black Americana
The First and the Cost of It
On breaking barriers and bearing the burdens that follow
Apr 21 • Black Americana
New Edition, Old Antics: Why the Hall of Fame Will Never Be Enough
A reminder that our legacy must be preserved on our own terms.
Apr 14 • Black Americana
A Question of Practice
When accountability meets care, what becomes possible, and what comes next
Apr 7 • Black Americana
Lost One or Gatekeeper: The Jay-Z Conundrum
Mar 31 • Black Americana
Almost Doesn’t Count: Why Can’t Brandy Be Forgiven?
On the standards we set and who we allow to outgrow them
Mar 24 • Black Americana
In the Pocket, Vol. 11: Caught Up in the Rapture of Love
Clarity, conviction, and the sound of artists finding their way back to themselves
Mar 20 • Black Americana
The Trust Test: What Makes a Leader Today
A reflection on trust, responsibility, and the leaders history remembers
Mar 17 • Black Americana
In the Pocket, Vol. 10: After the Dance
Mar 13 • Black Americana
The Other 90s Minimalism
Black American women and the quiet glamour that defined a decade
Mar 10 • Black Americana
In the Pocket, Vol. 9: Don’t You Love a Good Flirt?
From spring slow-burns to Southern soul, this week’s column sets the mood for a seasonal change
Mar 6 • Black Americana