8th Grade Metal Band Scores Sony Record Deal

via Facebook

Unlocking the Truth, a young metal band from Brooklyn, has been signed to a two-album recording contract with Sony.

The band, comprised of guitarist Malcolm Brickhouse, drummer Jared Dawkins, and bassist Alec Atkins, writes their own music and lyrics. The record deal involves a $60,000 upfront advance and an option for four additional LPs.

Thanks to the Apollo Theater's amateur night competition and subsequent performances at Times Square and festivals such as AfroPunk, Unlocking the Truth has garnered significant buzz, piquing the interest of music enthusiasts.

Ice Cream Trucks Are Racist

As if you needed another reminder to eat healthier this summer, here is a reason to never eat from the ice cream truck again.

NPR's Code Switch shatters every comforting memory you have ever had about hearing that old familiar ice cream truck diddy, scrambling to find a dollar, and running barefoot into the street for your favorite gumball-eyed treat.


That ice cream truck tune is called "Nigger Love A Watermelon Ha! Ha! Ha!" (1916):
         

Browne: "You niggers quit throwin' them bones and come down and get your ice cream!"
Black men (incredulously): "Ice Cream?!?"
Browne: "Yes, ice cream! Colored man's ice cream: WATERMELON!!"

Recognize the music? Yeah. Me too.
Summer will never be the same.
Lucky for me and many New Yorkers, we are team Mr. Softee. Our tune is much more loving and innocent, and we get real cones... with sprinkles!

                      

The creamiest dreamiest soft ice cream you get from Mister Softee.

For a refreshing delight supreme, look for Mister Softee

My milkshakes and my sundaes and my cones are such a treat.

Listen for my store on wheels ding-a-ling down the street.

The creamiest dreamiest soft ice cream you get from Mister Softee.

For a refreshing delight supreme, look for Mister Softee

S-O-F-T double E. Mister Softee!

LONG LIVE MR SOFTEE!!!

The Kiss Seen 'Round the World

Whether or not you followed the NFL draft this week, watch football, or even enjoy sports at all, odds are you have heard of Michael Sam.
In case you forgot, think back to early February when a Black, University of Missouri football player announced on ESPN that he was gay; becoming one of the first openly gay college players.

Well, now he is the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL.

Anyone can understand the statistical feat of joining the select few who can say they are members of the NFL. Consider, then, the prospects of a gay man, brave enough to allow others into his truth, awaiting the call that would change his life.

The emotion of it all could not have been more apparent:
          

She is a Diamond

I recently traveled to Abu Dhabi with family and friends. The purpose of the trip was almost exclusively vacation-based, but I was hoping for some type of spiritually reflective experience as well. In the days leading up to the trip, I was not feeling as excited as I should have. I could not quell the nervous feeling I had about traveling to the Middle East. It's not as if I have only traveled to cozy, Western nations, engaging in comfy Western amenities, and feeling completely socially accepted. In fact, I have never been to Western Europe, or even Canada. I have almost exclusively traveled to non-Western, homogenous nations, but something was making me feel uneasy.

Oscars Recap: Winning Women... and Some Great Men Too

Here are the nominees for the most amazing women of the night...

1. Robin Roberts

 

First of all, how great is it to not hear Joan Rivers' voice on the red carpet! I digress...

ABC's own Robin Roberts was the epitome of healthy glow as she hosted the red carpet pre-show last night in a perfect gown.