Hey friends! This week’s newsletter is a list of things I have read that I think you may also enjoy. I would like to, however, start this week’s newsletter by thanking everyone for sending me the post about Barnes & Noble’s 50% sale that is running until Labor Day weekend because they know I am a BB-Honey (Book and Budget honey—I just made this nickname up). I opted to take my lunch break at the store near me and picked up five books that I wanted to read: Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho, Manifesto by Bernardine Evaristo, which I have on my Kindle but wanted to read in print, In Every Mirror She’s Black by Lola Akinmade Akerstrom, Love Marriage by Monica Ali and A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia. When I was about to reach the counter, I saw a sales associate and asked her about the sale, only to find the books that were part of the sale were on display tables, and there were not any of interest. SAD, SAD, SAD. Keep that in mind if you’re heading to the sale.
Nonetheless, let’s get into the list of hella reads below.
Nearly Twenty Years Later, Little Brother’s ‘The Listening’ Continues to Shape Hip-Hop
Little Brother is hands down my favorite group, and The Listening is one of my all-time favorite albums. I thought this was a pretty good read about the influence their music has and continues to make on music. Honestly, sometimes I think about where Drake would be if Little Brother didn’t exist - just saying.
“The Listening resonated, especially, with a younger generation that was more comfortable assembling all of the moving parts of themselves. What Little Brother’s music really signaled was a kind of freedom from the uncomfortable compromises of the previous generation.”
“I like to think of ourselves as giving young rappers a look around the corner,” Phonte told Vulture in a 2019 interview about Little Brother’s legacy and impact. “Hopefully, we can give a blueprint to show that you can mature, you can grow older, and you can be true to yourself but not be crotchety. There’s a way you can settle into that moment and still be dope and be profitable and have things to say.”
The Art of Choosing What to Do With Your Life
I feel like I knew what I wanted to do when I graduated from college–write about music for magazines and work in marketing. And while I have done both things, I think that there are many people in college for different reasons; parents made them for learning more and pursuing their dream careers, or people in college hoping to find what they want to do. So this was a pretty great read about how to help students figure out what they want to pursue when they graduate.
The Rise of Lonely, Single Men
I feel like this article has been everywhere, and this sentiment stuck with me as it:
“How can men reap the benefit of the algorithms? Level up your mental health game. That means getting into some individual therapy to address your skills gap. It means valuing your own internal world and respecting your ideas enough to communicate them effectively. It means seeing intimacy, romance, and emotional connection as worthy of your time and effort.”
Basically, go to therapy, among other things!
How Quitting a Job Changed My Work-Life Balance
This title is a little misleading because I planned to read this article saying duh - you quit your job. However, I appreciate the different perspectives of those who had career pivots and shifts during the pandemic.
Serena Williams Says Farewell to Tennis On Her Own Terms—And In Her Own Words
For me, Serena is the GOAT. I would tell you about this time that I saw Serena in San Francisco and almost had a moment before I completely embarrassed myself and walked backward to continue staring at her. Well, I told you just now, but what a time. LOVED reading this.
“This sport has given me so much. I love to win. I love the battle. I love to entertain. I’m not sure every player sees it that way, but I love the performance aspect of it—to be able to entertain people week after week.”
“I want to be great. I want to be perfect. I know perfect doesn’t exist, but whatever my perfect was, I never wanted to stop until I got it right. To me that’s kind of the essence of being Serena: expecting the best from myself and proving people wrong. There were so many matches I won because something made me angry or someone counted me out. That drove me. I’ve built a career on channeling anger and negativity and turning it into something good. My sister Venus once said that when someone out there says you can’t do something, it is because they can’t do it. But I did do it. And so can you.”
The Rise of the Worker Productivity Score
I had many thoughts while reading this article. First such cool UX if you view the article on the web. Secondly, WTF? Just read this and let me know your thoughts.
If Your Co-Workers Are ‘Quiet Quitting,’ Here’s What That Means
The Rise of Knotless Braids (not new but loved the UX here)
Sarah Jakes Roberts is remaking the image of the modern Christian pastor
Told you, hella recommendations. I hope you found something of interest. Well, I’m out.
Congratulations!