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Ta-Nehisi Coates

Ta-Nehisi Coates - Ta-Nehisi Coates is a senior editor for The Atlantic, where he writes about culture, politics, and social issues for TheAtlantic.com and the magazine. He is the author of the memoir The Beautiful Struggle. More

Born in 1975, the product of two beautiful parents. Raised in West Baltimore—not quite The Wire, but sometimes ill all the same. Studied at the Mecca for some years in the mid-’90s. Emerged with a purpose, if not a degree. Slowly migrated up the East Coast with a baby and my beloved, until I reached the shores of Harlem. Wrote some stuff along the way.
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Random note on underrated MCs

By Ta-Nehisi Coates

Aug 14 2008, 12:02 PM ET Comment

Three words--C.L. Smooth. Was bumping some joints from The Main Ingredient while running this morning. Jesus, that kid was nasty. Obviously, as I've said before, I love T.R.O.Y. I play that song for anyone who thinks hip-hop is music for the functionally illiterate. But C.L. was nuts. One of the top ten greatest moments of my life was seeing him kill it with Pete Rock down near Union Square. They did T.R.O.Y. and I basically lost my mind. I haven't recovered since.

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