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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 Keep MCs Looking Out

By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Nov 16 2009, 1:41 PM ET Comment

Was in a livery cab with Kenyatta and the boy on Friday, headed to Londell's for jazz and dinner.  Hot 97 was banging ODB joint after ODB joint, and it finally dawned on us that he'd died five years ago. Talk about feeling old. Can't believe it's been that long.

One of the most surreal events of my life was seeing him, in a press conference, with Damon Dash and Mariah Carey. ODB was fresh out a mental hospital, if I recall correctly. Either that or jail. Him and Mariah were, evidently, just really cool with each other. She came to support. She was shockingly beautiful in person. I say shocking because I instinctively downgrade the looks of anyone I see on television or on a magazine cover. But she was the truth in that respect. More beautiful in the flesh than on the screen.

Anyway, RIP Osiris. And yeah, Dirty is always NSFW.



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