The curious case of Carlee Russell
I don’t know what happened to Carlee Russell (the young woman who was missing for 48 hours in Alabama) but I’m dumbfounded by the number of folks who immediately cast doubt on her story because she was found. Could it be that whoever took her felt like it was too much media attention so they dumped her? Shout out to the amount of media coverage this story got because you know usually Black women can’t get a story on the Classified page. Could it be that she had a mental breakdown? I understand the doubt that “things don’t add up.” But people feeling like their prayers “were wasted” (which I saw a lot of comments about on social media), makes me question, are we as a society jaded to immediately think the worst? Of course, I will be disappointed if this turns out to be a hoax, but the main thing is that she’s home. And isn’t THAT what everyone wanted?
Biden back doors student loan forgiveness
President Joe Biden is still trying to work on student loan forgiveness, despite a ruling from the Supreme Court striking down his forgiveness plan. Biden’s administration has announced they will automatically forgive $39 billion in student debt for 804,000 borrowers. This aid is due to adjustments to the student loan system’s income-driven repayment plans. According to those plans, after 20-25 years of repayment borrowers will have the rest of the debt canceled by the government. This would vary depending on when they borrowed as well as their plan and loan type. Payments that made borrowers closer to being debt-free weren’t accounted for in the past, per the Biden administration. The Biden administration will also count payments from borrowers with deferments and forbearances as well as those who made partial or late payments to assist with forgiveness. Though this is a major feat, cue the complaints that it’s not enough.
Hip Hop old school vs new school
Dr. Dre is sparking controversy after weighing in on new school rap. During a conversation with Kevin Hart on his Peacock show, Heart to Heart, the legendary producer gave a nuanced answer that did not crush today’s hip-hop but didn’t necessarily give them all of their props either. He said, “Hip-Hop is what it is. Anybody that’s talking about the state of hip-hop right now, when talking about it from a negative place, sounds like somebody’s f**kin’ grandfather. This is just what it is. Hip-Hop is evolving. If you don’t like it, don’t listen to it, you know what I’m saying? I’m keepin’ it all the way 100 with you. Most of this sh*t, I don’t like. I don’t listen to. But I’m not hatin’ on it. I’m never gonna hate on it.”
The criticism from many modern day rappers is that those who look down on today’s hip-hop are playing the exact role that previous generations did when hip-hop first came into prominence. I agree. Hip-hop is a genre that is meant to evolve. The core of the genre is taking something that’s already been done and using it to create something unique and fresh. Hip-hop is not going to sound like it did 30 years ago. Just as our parents and grandparents thought Too Live Crew and Too Short were vile and disgusting, today’s rap stands on its own merit for those that appreciate it. Now, having said that…I agree with Dre about today’s hip-hop. The mumbo-jumbo makes my head hurt. I guess that makes me someone’s grandma…..
