Mychal Denzel Smith

Lost Recipes | Defector In 1991, Spin magazine took the Compton rap collective N.W.A out to eat for a profile at the Russian Tea Room in Manhattan. The white author presents gangsta rap as a cynical enterprise, no different ...

Really good deep dive on the terrible state of hip-hop media archives and what that means for culture writing today

I’m actually not sure we can come back from “prediction markets for war crimes”, as a society. I think this might be it for us.

The End of Books Coverage at the Washington Post Becca Rothfeld, a former critic at the Washington Post, on the death of the paper’s books section.

"It is a sign of a fatally limited imagination to assume that we can only ever desire the pittance to which we are currently reconciled." www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...

Can Zohran Mamdani Survive at the Intersection of Identity Politics and Democratic Socialism? For the next four years, Zohran Mamdani will be the most scrutinized politician in the United States. Part of that is the nature of being the mayor of New York City, the financial and media capital…

@mychaldenzelsmith.bsky.social on identity politics, democratic socialism, and Zohran Mamdani’s uncertain relationship with New York’s Black voters.

Oh yeah, he took a dark turn for several years, harassing women on the internet who criticized him even slightly

I Thoroughly Enjoyed Watching Michael Rapaport Eat Shit On ‘The Traitors’ | Defector As the parent of a toddler, my TV watching habits have lately tended more toward Peppa Pig and Ms. Rachel than Heated Rivalry or The Pitt. I would like to keep abreast of whatever the internet is buzz...

I AGREE defector.com/i-thoroughly...

So good

The guy who owns Amazon shutting down the books section of the Washington Post is beyond parody

many thanks to @brandyjensen.bsky.social and @defector.com for letting write about two passions: my love of 'The Traitors' and my hatred of Michael Rapaport

“Abolish ICE” Is More Popular Than Ever. How Will Democrats Drop the Ball This Time? Establishment Democrats are refusing to take a bold stance by accpeting the increasingly popular position of "Abolish ICE."

Establishment Democrats are rejecting an increasingly popular position by refusing to take a bold stance that happens to be good politics.

Summary abduction is now the primary tactic deployed by the Trump regime in pursuit of both its domestic and foreign aims.

This is not a sovereign government, but a kidnapping syndicate.

if you ever want to play... VA2025

Ludacris was once worth a million gazillion fafillion dollars, so color me unimpressed

Amy Goodman trying so hard not to smile while delivering this news

Too much news happening, just tell me how much time they’re gonna give Puffy

Giving a toddler a bath is the real cure for perfectionism, you have to accept they’re only kinda clean because there’s definitely pee in that water

Zohran Mamdani Won’t Defund the Police. The Movement Can Grow With Him Anyway. It wouldn’t be savvy politics for Mamdani to run on defunding the police. Eric Adams and Andrew Cuomo know that.

"Mamdani’s opponents understand that defund is toxic, which is why they want to tie the mayoral frontrunner to his previous stance," writes @mychaldenzelsmith.bsky.social.

That's not intelligence, it's a bankrupt view of humanity

Basically, if you're a successful capitalist it's assumed you must be smart, and... it's just not the case! Being a successful capitalist doesn't make you smart! You become a successful capitalist by doing exactly the kind of shady circumventing of laws (and morals) Pablo is reporting!

it's telling that in the face of all of Pablo's (really incredible) reporting, the only defense Mark Cuban can muster is "Steve Ballmer is not stupid" which is both an example of class solidarity among the ultra-wealthy and a repetition of the lie at the heart of so much of U.S. rot

Scholar's Mate - Believer Magazine If you would like to score an easy victory in chess against someone who is unfamiliar with the game, and you are playing as white (a similar idea can be employed if you are playing as black, but it is...

We're excited to share that @mychaldenzelsmith.bsky.social’s essay "Scholar's Mate" has been selected by Hanif Abdurraqib to appear in The Year’s Best Sports Writing 2025 (@triumphbooks.bsky.social). Read it now on our site.

www.thebeliever.net/scholars-mate/

Pre-order The Year's Best Sports Writing 2025 with @barnesandnoble.com: buff.ly/FBQRUv7

@mychaldenzelsmith.bsky.social @imogenwk.bsky.social @autostraddle.bsky.social @noemamag.com @theguardian.com @espn.com @levernews.com @literaryhub.bsky.social @defector.com @blockclubchi.bsky.social

This year's featured writers: Lex Pryor Kim Cross Frankie de la Cretaz Melissa Febos Daniel Ray Zito Madu Kaveh Akbar Devin G. Kelly Mac Crane Maitreyi Anantharaman Nick Hunt Katie Barnes Leyton Cassidy Zack Davis Helena Gjone Yousra Samir Imran Giri Nathan Amos Barshad Jamie Nesbitt Golden Roman Stubbs Katie Heindl Mychal Denzel Smith Lisa Williamson Rosenberg Imogen West-Knights Darrell Powell Simon Akam James Thomas Niharika Pandit Ettore Ewen (Big E) Peter Flax

Hanif Abdurraqib has curated an extraordinary collection showcasing incredible feats and diverse perspectives across the world of sports. We're honored to announce this year's featured writers! Pre-order The Year's Best Sports Writing 2025 today: buff.ly/7gs9meT

sending much love to you and your mom

For folks not in DC:
- There are full-on police checkpoints most nights
- Gangs of 30+ federal agents roam DC
- National Guard folks w/ guns patrolling a Harris Teeter
- Every day, multiple friends see ICE kidnapping ppl
- Daycares are scared to have kids go on walks due to ICE

Taught my child to say “Zohran will you please be my mayor?” so I’ll just be over here waiting for that father of the year award

…are you?

I would never try to speak for him, but I do think it’s a real belief—I think he lives in France because he’s pretentious and insufferable