Wanna Buy Some Old Bill Cosby Records?
In the face of mounting allegations against the beloved comedian, we are left to reconsider his artistic legacy.
Mark Reynolds
Mark Reynolds, a PopMatters contributor since 2004, writes cultural criticism, reviews and essays from the intersection of history, race and culture. Mark began his journalism career in 1986 in his native Cleveland as a talk show host and news reporter for NPR affiliate WCPN-FM. From 1992 to 1998, he covered politics, education, local history, music, literature and film for the alternative newspaper Cleveland Free Times. He also freelanced for several Cleveland publications, including the daily Plain Dealer and alt-weekly Scene. His March 2003 Urban Dialect essay about his experiences in the alternative newspaper industry received statewide first-place honors for best media criticism from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists. Other credits include periods as a regular contributor to the trade magazine Black Meetings and Tourism, the weekly newspaper Philadelphia Tribune, and the entertainment magazine Hear/Say. Concurrent with his journalism work, Mark spent 31 years with the U.S. Postal Service, mostly in corporate communications. From 1997 to 2003, he was the public relations representative for the Postal Service in Cleveland. He relocated to Philadelphia in 2004 to launch a monthly video newsletter for Postal Service employees in the Philadelphia region. In 2006, he moved to Chicago to serve as the district's corporate communications representative. Mark retired from the Postal Service in 2016 to accept a position at Antioch College (his alma mater) as Director of Marketing & Communications. Mark's essays are included in two Belt Publishing anthologies: "Red State Blues: Stories from Midwestern Life on the Left" (2018); and "Black In the Middle: An Anthology of the Black Midwest" (2020). Mark lives and works in Chicago, which is a pretty good place to pursue his particular beat. Wherever he roams in the world, Mark carries love for his wife and daughter, books he plans to read someday, and endless hope for Cleveland's confounding sports teams.
How Pioneering Blues Women Were All But Written out of “Official” Blues History
While industry gatekeepers were invested in a specific image of black performance, black performers themselves had different ideas.
D’Angelo and the Vanguard: ‘Black Messiah’
The urgent Black Messiah proves that sometimes, life won't let a cultural statement that's chomping at the bit wait for a proper marketing campaign.
‘The Man From Essence’ Is the Inside Story of What Would Become the Pre-Eminent Black Women’s Brand
Essence magazine proved its founders’ bets were right: black women comprised a significant market with money to spend, and the right product with the right approach could virtually own it.
I’m Rick James’ Bio, Bitch!
The majority of Glow is a blow-by-blow account of the drugs he took and the women he bedded. James either had a great memory, or he took remarkable notes.
Bring Back the Beat! What’s Up with Hip-Hop Reissues?
The record industry makes huge efforts to reissue rock CDs, but nowhere near as much effort for hip-hop CDs.
Carl Van Vechten, America’s First White Negro
What was Van Vechten really writing about during the Harlem Renaissance; black culture as it existed in its own right, or how he viewed it through his own complicated prism?
‘1954’ Promises a Look at Pioneering Black Athletes, but Instead Delivers a Baseball Pennant Chase
If Bill Madden is saying that by 1954, black excellence in baseball was no longer shocking, that’s one thing to note – but his book doesn’t really note it.
Mavis Staples and Her Pops Helped Get Us There
Greg Kot's I'll Take You There is really the biography of a musical family, centering on not one but two life stories: Mavis Staples', and that of her biggest influence, dear ol' dad.
A New Book Calls for a More Activist Black Church — But That Might Be Easier Said Than Done
The difference between churches of service and activism is seen by the degree to which they hold to the philosophies of black theology, a school of religious thought that emerged in the wake of the racial tumult of the ‘60s.
Soul Train: The Hippest Nostalgia Trip in America
Soul Train was more than entertainment for black America. It was inspiration and validation. Questlove gives us another ride.
Former Heavyweight Champ Mike Tyson Becomes a Raconteur and Memoirist — Who Knew?
Mike Tyson has a gift for introspection and storytelling those whom disdain him as some sort of anti-social beast might find surprising.