Cash Money Set to Release Latest Novel from Three-time NY Times Bestselling Author, Wahida Clark

Clark has gone from prison inmate  to author and multi-million dollar business owner

Her novels are fun, jaw dropping cautionary tales for the hip hop generation

THREE-time New York Times bestselling urban fiction author, Wahida Clark wrote her first novel while serving 9 ½ years in prison.  She inked a major publishing deal, wrote 7 novels AND hit the New York Times list, all while behind bars!

EMI Gospel Recording Artist ANITA WILSON Named Among New York Times’ Top 10 Albums of 2012…The GRAMMY Awards…The Stellar Gospel Music Awards and MORE!

EMI Gospel Recording Artist Anita Wilson’s Debut Album, Worship Soul, Named Among New York Times‘ Ben Ratiff’s Top 10 Albums of 2012 Wilson Receives GRAMMY® Award Nomination and Three Stellar Gospel Music Awards Nods Wilson Performs on the 28th Annual Stellar Awards and More

Shocking News: A Father’s Lifestyle Will Affect His Unborn Children—And Grandchildren Too

http://mybrownbaby.com/2012/09/shocking-news-a-fathers-lifestyle-will-affect-the-success-of-his-children-and-grandchildren-too/

By NICK CHILES

As the father of three well-rounded, academically and athletically successful children, I have always been aware that fathers played a crucial role in the development, confidence and achievements of their children. But reading a fascinating story in yesterday’s New York Times, I was shocked to discover the extent to which dads have a role in the people that their children become.

As noted in the Times story entitled “Why Fathers Really Matter,” it has long been the mother who has been harangued by modern society for her choices while pregnant—she can’t drink, smoke, undergo stress, exercise too much, gain too much weight, eat the wrong foods, because they all could damage her developing fetus. Poor mothers have always been subject to the great societal wrath of friends, neighbors, casual acquaintances if she violated any of the conventional wisdom about what a mother can and cannot do. But according to the Times, choices that fathers make even long before contributing sperm to the egg also have a huge impact on that child.

When It Comes to Dating and Hooking Up Sites, Leave the Kiddies Out of It!

http://mybrownbaby.com/2012/06/when-it-comes-to-dating-and-hooking-up-sites-leave-the-kiddies-out-of-it/

By NICK CHILES

Now we get word that an online social and dating site called Skout has shut down its teen section after reports surfaced that adults were using the teen section to lure teens into encounters that resulted in at least three rapes, according to the New York Times.

Initially Skout had a separate section for adults and teens that actually allowed users to broadcast their locations, but—surprise!—apparently sexual predators with an interest in children were going into the teen section to find victims. Is it just me, or does this sound like the dumbest idea in the world, to advertise to adults the nearby existence of a place where they could find all the precious young meat they’d ever desire—all they had to do is pretend to be a teenager?

Roach Gigz Announces The Bugged Out Tour For September

Second Headline Tour For 2012 Will Kick Off This Fall, Following Release Of Debut Album

Critical Praise for Roach Gigz: “The funniest rapper working” – The New York Times “Roach’s new Bitch, I’m A Player EP is a lot of fun, a high-energy onslaught of sex-brags and self-deprecating jokes… It’s a nice little portrait of a rapper dizzily in love with the art of rapping, and with the places that his gift can take him.” – Pitchfork “Here’s to the new age of rap. And Roach Gigz. Who is awesome.” – The FADER The Tour: Roach Gigz is excited to announce his forthcoming headline tour, The Bugged Out Tour. The Bugged Out Tour, kicking off September 7th in San Francisco, will be Roach’s second headlining tour in 2012, and will follow the release of Roach’s official debut album, Bugged Out, in August. Starting today, three Fan Club Bundles, priced between $25 and $60, will allow fans to pre-purchase show tickets along with three exclusive t-shirts. Fan Club Bundles can be purchased via Roach Gigz’ website.

The 5Ws: Lashaun Turner

Who: Lashaun Turner

What: TRC Social Media & Look Like A STar* Public Relations

Why: Look Like A Star Public Relations specializes in servicing the Publicity needs of Independent (unsigned) Music Artists in the genre’s of Hip-Hop, Rap, Soul, Urban Pop and RnB. The company engages social media networking,niche marketing, and other advanced techniques to increase exposure for it’s clients. We deliver your music to targeted industry connections. We supply artists with opportunities for Press exposure through Interviews, Featured Articles, Radio Spins, and Press Release /EPK distribution..

White Births In US No Longer Majority: The Coloring Of America

http://mybrownbaby.com/2012/05/white-births-in-us-no-longer-majority-the-coloring-of-america/

By Denene Millner

Our country, settled by white Europeans and riddled with the troubled racial legacy of slavery, bitter civil rights battles and an awful anti-immigration stance, has reached a new milestone for the first time in its 235-year-old history: White births in the United States are no longer in the majority.

According to US Census Bureau data, Black, Hispanic, Asian and mixed-race births accounted for 50.4% of births over a 12-month period to July 2011, marking a majority for the first time in US history. Whites still remain the majority of the population as a whole—with 63.4 percent of the population identifying as White—and Whites still maintain the largest single share of total births, at 49.6 percent. But the growth of the Hispanic population is chipping into the majority status of White births—a trend expected to continue as Hispanics, whose population sit “squarely within their peak fertility,” continues to rise, Pew Hispanic Center demographer Jeffrey  Passel told the New York Times.

The tipping point represents a “transformation from a mostly white baby boomer culture to the more globalised multi-ethnic country that we are becoming,” William Frey, a Brookings Institution demographer, told the New York Times.

As Zimmerman Goes Free, We Trace the Path of This Unbelievable Story

http://mybrownbaby.com/2012/04/as-zimmerman-goes-free-we-trace-the-path-of-this-unbelievable-story/

By NICK CHILES

As George Zimmerman walked out of jail late Sunday night after posting bail, and the city of Sanford tried to determine whether Police Chief Bill Lee still had his job, it gave us an opportunity here at MyBrownBaby to think back on how much the story of Trayvon Martin’s murder has transformed the nature of social media in just seven weeks.

It also gave us a chance to reflect on MyBrownBaby’s crucial role in lighting a spark that ignited this unbelievable story.

Too Short Is Too Outrageous in Advising Little Boys to Commit Sexual Assault

http://mybrownbaby.com/2012/02/in-an-outrageous-advise-video-too-short-advises-middle-school-boys-to-commit-sexual-assault/

By NICK CHILES

Outrage doesn’t begin to describe my reaction to the “advice” column by Too Short on the website of the hip hop magazine XXL. In the ridiculous video feature, the aging rapper basically advises middle school boys to commit sexual assault to hasten their relationships with their female schoolmates. The most astounding thing about this column, beyond the fact that somebody thought it was a good idea to select the notoriously raunchy rapper to give advice to anybody, was that the editors of XXL actually put it on their website and sent it out into the world.

As the father of a middle school girl (and a second one who is just two years away), I was so enraged and disgusted when I read the text of his XXL video that I wanted to run to their corporate offices and create a huge bonfire of XXL magazines in the lobby. I know if some little boy ever put a hand on my daughter and they found evidence of this video anywhere within sniffing distance of his dumb behind, XXL would need a building full of attorneys to fight all the lawsuits I would send their way.

For Teenagers, a “Graduated” Driver’s License Saves Lives—and Saves Parents from a Nervous Breakdown

http://mybrownbaby.com/2012/02/for-teenagers-a-graduated-drivers-license-saves-lives-and-saves-parents-from-a-nervous-breakdown/

By NICK CHILES

The state of New Jersey is currently debating a bill that would create “graduated licenses” for teenagers, which add more safeguards and restrictions to the process of acquiring a license for 16-year-old drivers. While there is some opposition in New Jersey, these measures have been passed in many other states around the country, including Georgia, where I live, and let me tell you, they make a huge difference for parents. I am an unequivocal supporter of anything that makes teenagers more cautious and conscientious when they get behind the wheel.

First of all, you can’t argue with the statistics. A story in the New York Times, quoting numbers provided by the New Jersey Teen Safe Driving Coalition, says that with teenage drivers, a single passenger raises the risk of a crash by 50 percent and doubles the risk of a driver dying in a crash; three passengers increase the risk of a crash by 200 percent. Most graduated license laws, such as the one we have here in Georgia, prohibit 16-year-olds from driving with another teenager in the car for at least six months. In the second six months after they get the license, teens can’t have more than one other teen in the car. A year after the license, teens still aren’t supposed to have more than three other teens in the car.

Jan 31- I-Octane Releases Debut on VP/Scikron

I-OCTANE CONTINUES HIS MARCH TO THE TOP

VP RECORDS AND SCIKRON JOIN FORCES TO RELEASE

HIS FIRST FULL-LENGTH REGGAE ALBUM

‘CRYING TO THE NATION’ ON JAN 31

“I-Octane’s fusion of hauntingly sung vocals with rapid-fire rhymes…reaffirm dancehall’s significance as a vehicle for compelling commentaries and praising Jah…”
– BILLBOARD, Chosen as one of the ‘15 Artists Impacting The Indie Scene’

VP Records and Scikron are proud to announce the release of I-Octane’s debut album, ‘Crying To The Nation,’ available January 31, 2012. As one of the most-talked about artists emerging from Jamaica, I-Octane’s first full-length LP will reinvigorate the feeling of roots and dancehall at its purest. He has already proven himself as a lyricist with rapid-fire delivery, and unveils his uncanny ability to sing romantic ballads and socially aware tunes on this traditional reggae album.

‘Crying To The Nation’ puts I-Octane in a class of his own as one of the next generation’s leaders of the conscious dancehall movement. Following in a similar vein of his predecessors Sizzla, Capleton and Buju Banton, his lyrics express sentiments of faith, romance, social justice and compassion for the ghetto youth. His brand new single “L.O.V.E Y.O.U,” “Missing You” (remix featuring Agent Sasco) and “Once More” reflect his emotional sensibility, while songs like “Vanity Will Come,” “All We Need Is Love” (featuring Tarrus Riley) and the title track are filled with positive messages and political leanings, something that the current state of dancehall often lacks.

Joe Paterno, Herman Cain, Men, Sex, and Power

by Kevin Powell

Image via Wikipedia

Joe Paterno. Herman Cain. Penn State football. Presidential campaigns. Men. Sex. Power. Women. Harassed. Children. Abused.

These are some of the hash tags that have tweeted through my mind nonstop, these past several days, as multiple sexual harassment charges have been hurled at Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain; as Jerry Sandusky, former defensive coordinator for Penn State’s storied football program, was arrested on 40 counts related to allegations of sexual abuse of eight young boys over a 15-year period. Sandusky’s alleged indiscretions have not only brought back very ugly and unsettling memories of the Catholic Church sexual abuse mania a few short years ago, but has led to the firing of legendary coach Joe Paterno and Penn State president Graham Spanier, plus the indictments of athletic director Tim Curley and a vice president, Gary Schultz, for failing to report a grad assistant’s eyewitness account of Sandusky allegedly having anal sex with a ten-year-old boy in a shower on the university’s campus in 2002.

Tackling Infant Mortality Rates—Without Stereotyping Black Mothers

http://mybrownbaby.com/2011/10/tackling-infant-mortality-rates%e2%80%94without-stereotyping-black-mothers/

By Denene Millner

So I wake up Saturday morning to this New York Times piece, Tackling Infant Mortality Rates Among Blacks, and by story’s end, I’m heated. I mean, I’m glad the Times did the story; the more attention drawn to the fact that 13.3 black babies out of 1,000 die every year—almost double the national average and higher than Sri Lanka (!)—the more chance that someone will actually figure out why tens of thousands of African American children die before age 1. But this story had problems.

Big ones.

My beef? While the story rings the alarm on the “quiet crisis” that lacks “the public discussion or high-profile campaigns that accompany cancer, autism or postpartum depression,” as usual, it falls right into the trap of completely devaluing the complexity of the problem by stereotyping black mothers. Witness the subject the Times story highlights: A poor, uneducated, 20-year-old pregnant black woman from Pittsburgh who the reporter suggests had to be talked into actually wanting her baby, and has so little self-control or pre-natal intellect that she’s spent the last seven months gorging on chips, soda, tacos and her “mama’s cooking,” gaining 50 unhealthy pounds that could put her baby at risk. Her baby has a chance of surviving only because of Healthy Start, a nonprofit group that, despite scant federal and absolutely no local financial support, manages to give in-home pre-natal care to moms-to-be who qualify for and need their services.

NEW ORLEANS QUEEN OF BOUNCE BIG FREEDIA NOMINATED FOR AN MTV “O” AWARD

NEW ORLEANS QUEEN OF BOUNCE BIG FREEDIA
NOMINATED FOR AN MTV “O” AWARD

That’s right, Big Freedia the Queen Diva, has been nominated, alongside Lady Gaga, Metallica, Britney Spears, Bruno Mars, Courtney Love, Katey Perry, and many more by MTV O Awards, in the category of Too Much Ass for TV! The winners, which will be announced live on Oct 31 at an awards show, is 100% voter-driven, soooooo please vote!

Big Freedia (pronounced “Free-da”) isn’t a just rapper, or the Queen Diva of Bounce, or a performer extraordinaire. Big Freedia is a movement. Currently on a worldwide “Go Homo Tour,” Freedia is bringing her show and Bounce music — a subgenre of hip-hop born out of New Orleans and known for its lightening speed booty-shaking—to audiences around the globe. Known to prompt sweaty after-parties and dance-floor freak-outs, a Big Freedia show is an experience.

Back-To-School Basics: Six Great Ways To Tackle School Shopping On a Budget

http://mybrownbaby.com/2011/09/back-to-school-basics-six-great-ways-to-tackle-school-shopping-on-a-budget/

By ANDREA WOROCH

Thanks to steadily increasing cotton and labor costs, fashion manufacturers are cutting back on both quality and extras. Instead, they’re using inexpensive tweaks to con shoppers into believing they’re actually getting more for their money—thus, the new slang term “con-flation.”

It looks like parents aren’t buying it, though. The National Retail Foundation released a study in late July indicating back-to-school shoppers plan to spend less this year across the board. According to the study, “Parents are actually taking inventory of last year’s items, asking kids to… try on those ‘old’ jeans, and check if the tennis shoes still fit.”

The Labor Department reported clothing prices rose 1.2 percent in July, the third increase in the last year. In 12 months, clothing costs rose 3.1 percent, the biggest yearly increase since July 1992.

Shopper pragmatism is one way to beat the system; another is to use cost-saving methods to reduce back-to-school spending. Here are six ways to get your kids to school in style—and on budget.

1. Buy Quality

Baby Love: Are You Ready For Another Child Or Is the Shop Closed?

http://mybrownbaby.com/2011/08/deciding-when-or-whether-to-have-another-baby/

My blog homie Britni Danielle, who holds it down lovely over at Clutch (my online Bible for all things young, black, smart and feminine), has been putting in work at BabyCenter, where she blogs about motherhood. I’m so very proud of her work there (and super happy that someone thought to add a mom of color to the massive blogging line-up that, until Britni joined, included only one non-white mom—my homegirl Kimberly Allers Seals of MochaManual.com). Occasionally, Britni gives me a heads up on her writings, and yesterday, she hit me up on Twitter with this:

The comments are heating up. What do you say? Ever feel pressured to have more kids?

She was referring to a piece she’d written on BabyCenter, in which she declared that her son would likely be an only child, not because she’s not physically capable of having a second baby, but because she doesn’t want to have one. In her post,“Ever Feel Pressured To Have More Kids,” Britni writes:

Growing up, I visualized a house full of kids. I’d picture myself whipping up meals, while my children made mud pies in the yard, or I’d think about corralling them into the minivan for a family road trip. When I pictured my ideal life all those years ago, I never thought I’d be the mother of an only child.