That's what the I'm talking about. All you Morris Chestnut chocolate boy wonders. All you Denzel Washington mocha macks. All you Mekhi Phifer/Omar Epps/Michael K. Williams/Derek Luke/Pete Rock mofos, I got two words for you--Time's. Up.
I had a high-yellow friend who always used to say that light-skinned brothers are gonna make a comeback. Just wait, he'd say, the halcyon days of Al B. Sure will return. I never realized how prophetic he was.
Of course, this only applies to dudes. I'm straight Jungle Brothers 1989, rocking that "Blacker The Berry" isht. Lauryn Hill--pre-crazy--is the master mold. But all ya'll Idriss Elba mofos need to back up. Christopher Williams is in the house. Khalil Kane mercs Pac. Kid beats Play. Grab your Sportin' Waves, and stocking caps. Break yo'self, fool.
UPDATE: Here's what I mean...You didn't play, you just got played out...
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
Jungle Brothers! "girl I'll house you...girl I'll house you...girl I'll house you-you in my hut now" That is the issshh
"...don't you KNOW?"
We're postracial, but not quite post-hue.
I just had to get our admin to find me some desk wipes and screen cleaner after reading this..coffee everywhere!
That's right son, we're back!
TNC,
I love your blog. I'm an eighties baby like you. Grew up in NJ (just outside of NYC) but now reside in the south. We're about the same age and grew up with many of the same musical influences. I can even relate to being a black dude who now likes Alternative music. But I know this post is making these Volvo driving, New York Times reading, urbane, effete Atlantic readers scratch their collective heads. Khalil Kane! LOL, last time I saw him he was on a milk carton that read: "Light skinned actor in need of work!" Maybe Khalil can play Obama in the movies.
Re "The Blacker the Berry" -- are you dissing Halle?
(I suspect the whole "discretion is the better art of valor" thing applies to a white person intervening on this thread, but the pun is hard to resist).
In the interests of journalistic integrity, I believe that his name is spelled "Al B. Sure!" That's with the exclamation point.
I just don't want anyone to be accused of New Jack bias!
I heard Sinbad has a new HBO special coming out.
As a light-skinned brother, I found the post beyond hilarious.
I used to tell anyone within ear shot that Tyson Beckford was simply filling a void between. Not changing the game.
Whewww Lawd... let it be known right now that Idris Elba transcends all color trends! (And as a sista who gets rather pale in the winter... I gotta say, where's the love?)
I have no idea what you just said, but find myself wanting to write paeon to pinkness.
This was HILARIOUS.
Coates, these sorts of gems are why I keep on coming back.
Make me LMAO, why don't ya?
I for one am hoping Byron Allen gets his due
In my family, which is mixed like nobody's business, we all drink coffee the color of our skin. We go through a lot of half-and-half.
"Kid beats Play" is pure genius. It really is.
A shy, maybe unwelcome call to include Bayard Rustin in that mix. I've kept waiting for his name in your Prop 8 discussions, or Obama's. (He could also sing, actually, though hip-hop was born abt 6 years before he died and I don't know what he thought of it ...)
So Barr is going to be president? clearly Barr beats Obama
http://ta-nehisicoates.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/07/bob_barrnegro.php
"But I know this post is making these Volvo driving, New York Times reading, urbane, effete Atlantic readers scratch their collective heads. "
Easy now. The only reason I'm scratching my head is because of the psoriasis. (Actually we just got rid of our Volvo in favor of a Toyota minvan.)
Dude, you are a stone cold retard! This shit is hilarious.
Ta-Nehisi,
The Negro Community has a message for you:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65472472@N00/2989786650/
"As a light-skinned brother, I found the post beyond hilarious."
Hell, as an olive-skinned white girl, I found this shit beyond hilarious.
Christopher Williams back in the building?! Whaaaat!!
Let me go put on my door-knocker earrings, shine up my high-top Reeboks. Gotta look good for my man...
Dayum. How can I contract vitiligo?
And riding on those coat-tails will be similarly-toned Indian dudes like myself. Oh, the whims of the Americans...
Personally, I'm all for the mid-brown bros. Classic, like a pearl necklace, they never go out of style.
To set the record straight....
Idriss Elba is like fine wine, a true classic, never grows old and doesn't need a comeback cuz he never goes out of style. Brotha is FINE!
I am always partial to a yummy dark chocolate bar. Yes Lawd :-)
Damn, I never even thought of that! The problem is, Barack is not cute. If my honey/yellow counterparts want a come back, they better present a much more masculine equivalent to El DeBarge, Shabba du (breakin), most of the members of Switch, Christopher Williams, or Prince. I think the only reason light-skin is out of style is because the market was saturated with the androgynous type, including eyeliner.
As a light-skinned woman, I suffered a similar fate in college because I went to Howard where brothas took embracing their blackness literally. But Hollywood on the otherhand, rarely shows dark women that kinda love.
I drive a Volvo and read the NY Times, but I also used to have a flip and use DAX hair gel. "The halcyon days of Al B. Sure" is what got me. Thanks for something to make us laugh in these last tense days before the election.
As an executive member of the Light-Skinded Council for Equality in Dating, i long ago figured out how to counter the color bias against brothas of café au lait complexion.
long dreadlocs get em every time.
see: lenny kravitz..gary dourdan...and ignore the faux locs on vin diesel in "chronicles of riddick". that was just wrong.
Play wins for the Eraserhead reference.
ROTFLMMFAO!!!!
Reminiscing on that song about good and bad hair from School Daze....
As for me, don't need no Sportin' Waves. I just hit my hair with some Fructis shine and I'm good to go. C'mon, check out your sweet daddy's konk, that aint no konk.... LOL!
This must truly be a generational thing.
Love it or leave it, you better gain way
You better hit bulls eye, the kid don't play
If there was a problem, yo, I,ll solve it
Check out the hook while my DJ revolves it
Lol. I never knew the light-skinned brotha ever went out of style. Those were the only dudes getting some play when I was in college a decade ago. Pretty Ricky is what we called them.
And even now you can't go anywhere without ladies screaming about Boris, John Legend, Common, etc etc. Barack is just going to tilt the scales even more in their favor.
But for the intramural hip-hop battle referenced above, the line that ended the cipher - for me - came from Play: "Kid spelled backward, descibes ya best." He was the better dancer, too.
Btw, Shani-O: you might be the first black woman I've heard say Barack ain't cute.
TNC,
can you stop with this "sheeeeeeeeeeeeet".
I just spent ten minutes googling various names you used and I still feel more lost than Barry O'Bama at an Alaskan moose hunt.
Please, remember white folks read this blog. Have pity on us. Include a dictionary with citations. A "blictionary" so to speak.
Leon Rogers FTW.
As for the rest of this, the White Women Born During the Eisenhower Administration Community says: huh?
... just like we were s'posed ta.
Man, I really need to update my personal blog, huh?
In the interests of journalistic integrity, I believe that his name is spelled "Al B. Sure!"
Ummm, I think I love you, whoever you are ...
BlackInk- that wasn't me, babe. There are two Shani's (both of whom went to HU, apparently) who read and comment here. I always end with an 'O,' tho.
And I think Barack is totally dreamy, in a Nonthreatening Boys Magazine kinda way.
Big Brother Almigh T!
From Spike Lee's School Daze:
Wanna Be's (mulattos): You're just a jig-a-boo, tryin' to find somethin' to do!
Jig-A-Boo's (dark skinned): Well, you're a wanna-be, wanna be better than me!
Why all this focus on skin color?
BTW, Steve Sailer just published a book on Obama. This is from a recent blog post by Sailer, speculating on Obama's test scores:
At least I didn't start my comment off by describing my skin color, come on y'all. ;)
This is so many levels of non-PC wrong Ta-Nehisi, but it's funny. I was thinking about how some might seriously be thinking along those lines but you had to go and write it.
I guess my black American community isn't quite post-color ;)
Laments of the light skin-did
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0vjR6E8IEY
TNC: awesome post. I started gigging (note: not a typo) on my couch and I fired up the itunes! I am now listening to "Just Got Paid."
It is all.your.fault.
Sorry, Shani-0. YOu have seniority up in here so maybe I'll help distinguish me with Shanilink. And yes, I said it. Barack is also funny looking. Nonetheless any black man who makes it to POTUS is gonna be considered fine.
This is good news. Now all I need is bow legs.