Andrew Ricketts

Andrew Ricketts is a writer based in Brooklyn, New York. He writes about how pop culture shapes and reflects identity and has learned to trust only his mother's love and well-ripened plantains. His essays do best with sunlight and closed comments.

IT AIN’T TRICKIN’ IF YA GOT IT

How Lil Wayne Played Trump—And the Rest of Us

A funny thing happened on the way to the Forbes List: Rap became less Public Enemy and more Cash Money Millionaire.

Andrew Ricketts

‘WHAT MY TOMB WILL SAY’

Behind the Mask, MF DOOM Was an Artist’s Artist

Daniel Dumile took the lesson of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s seminal poem and donned the mask to turn his career into a case study for anyone Black who wants to create without limits.

Andrew Ricketts

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WHO’S ZOOMING WHO?

The Game Is Trying to Cheat Scoring Machine James Harden

Why are so many fans and writers pulling for a billionaire owner who made a fortune off of cheap labor over a player who’s changed the game? You guessed it: Race.

Andrew Ricketts

MARKETPLACE OF IDEAS

Chet Hanks Joined Clubhouse. Then All Hell Broke Loose.

The rapper-son of Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson joined the invite-only app. Like many talks on the elitist platform, it soon devolved into a messy exchange on race and privilege.

Andrew Ricketts