Bené Viera, who has written for Juicy and GlobalGrind.com adds, “You really have to treat freelancing like it’s your 8-to-5 job. “You have to wake up in the morning; you have to have pitches; you have to send a ton of pitches to various publications and hope that you get a reply back.”

So, follow up with editors and pursue new leads. Establish your own business hours and don’t take personal calls during the day. You should maintain a constant flow of work, even after pitches are submitted.

“Freelancing is a business within itself, and, in order to be successful, one has to be on top of their game.”

For a significant number of black critics (particularly black women), Kreayshawn has been cast, at best, as a swagger-jacker, an impostor who is baldly profiting from the blatant theft of the same black cultural tastes and styles that black women are often marginalized for displaying. At worst she is trading in racial stereotypes that demean black people, particularly women.

In Clutch Magazine, Bené Viera writes: “White rappers aren’t the problem. Exploitation of Black culture is. Black culture is diverse with various meanings; and how one defines Black culture varies from individual. In the case of Kreayshawn, I’m referring to her misinterpretation of what she thinks Black culture and hip hop is.”

She’s exploiting black culture. Meaningful discussions of white privilege aside, there’s no escaping the torrid history of white artists profiting off of black music. From Elvis to Vanilla Ice and even on down the line to British singers Amy Winehouse and Adele, history’s filled with black artists who’ve toiled over their creative projects only to see white newcomers run off with the success. Kreayshawn, critics say, is just the latest. “The novelty of a mainstream White female rapper has been nonexistent. It was only a matter of time before a vested interest arose to capitalize off such a rarity,” wrote Bene Viera over at Clutch.

White rappers aren’t the problem. Exploitation of Black culture is.

Black culture is diverse with various meanings; and how one defines Black culture varies from individual. In the case of Kreayshawn, I’m referring to her misinterpretation of what she thinks Black culture and hip-hop is.

One could argue she is exactly what hip-hop has become–gimmicky, devoid of substance, whack, the glorification of a street life, sexualized and talentless. If that’s the case, is she appropriating Black culture or just a part of a watered down genre?

I don’t believe for one second her image is authentic. It is one derived of the stereotypical “sister girl” trope we’ve seen time and time again. Understand, I’m not arguing whether “sister girl” actually exists. I’m not even arguing that the “sister girl” is to be shunned. But Kreayshawn’s image, how she carries herself, her lyrics are all derivative of her very limited view of Black culture.
- From “Kreayshawn: Another Case of Appropriating Black Culture,” by Bene Viera, June 6

Beyonce plays her role in feminism and admittedly, she’s not the spokesperson for “the pay gap between men and women or the degrading lyrics of hip-hop,” as my writer-friend Bene Viera argued. Her brand of empowerment definitely focuses on women stepping outside of the realm of shame for being sexually confident, independent, and driven in their careers.

Bene Viera of Clutch Magazine takes on Garfield Hylton’s post on FreshXpress about natural hair and whether it is, in fact, the new “light skinned.” Viera questions Hylton’s ability to tackle the subject because he is a man. Since many hairstylists are men, and many men wear natural hairstyles, why not? She takes him to task for poor writing and making assumptions that black women are adopting natural hair because it is a trend. Viera goes on to discuss her personal journey to natural hair and excitement about what it will become in the future.

It’s hard finding your man in America if you’re black and single.

Recent US studies have shown that the number of college educated black women getting married has decreased by a third since the 1970s.

Although part of a wider trend, African American women are facing significantly worse statistics that white women in finding their man and starting a family.

For Assignment Nina Robinson travelled to New York to find out what it’s like to be black and single and looking for marriage.

Bene is a young, bright and beautiful black woman in Manhattan. But she thinks that finding a decent black man who could be marriage material may not be so easy.

“I’m looking for someone who is smart, funny, ambitious, someone who is in his career or actively working towards a career,” she says.

Single, college-educated, black women like Bene are playing a tricky numbers game when it comes to finding a suitable marriage partner in the US.

Live on the Michael Baisden Show discussing my Essence Dumb it Down article. Listen around the 11:00 minute mark.