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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.

I know what you want

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Sep 24 2008, 10:00 AM ET Comment

You want to talk about TV On The Radio's new joint. It's a bad idea for me to render a verdict, given I've only had the album a day. I tend to not get things the first time I hear them. I hate virtually every Outkast album the first time a hear it. A month later I'm claiming genius. That's real talk. When Bombs Over Baghdad hit, I hated it--for about a week. Now I think it's one of the greatest hip-hop songs ever. Off the top I can say I like "Crying"--like, a lot. The rest I need to meditate on. 

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