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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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More evidence that Barack Obama is killing hip-hop

By Ta-Nehisi Coates

Jan 23 2009, 11:00 AM ET Comment

Or why looking at people like they're chairs, tables or boxes, like nothing changes, like that dude isn't waving an American flag at a hip-hop show, like the whole world can be charted into two dimensions, can be folded into series of if/thens and either/ors, will always fail in blinding fashion.

Jigga, being Jigga, has a humanity, and a humor, that all their media accolades can not give them:

My president is black, in fact he's half-white
So even in a racist mind, he's half right..
Can you dig it? Those who love to talk, but hate to listen, can not...


Jay-Z My President is black Remix LIVE 1-18-09 from pleasedontstare.com on Vimeo.

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