Clutch Magazine: What Really Goes On

Image via ClutchFriday for Clutch, The Snob breaks down media myths surrounding news, blogs and BET. Here's a taste:

BLOGS and BEYONCE and GETTING PRESS

What you think happens: Beyoncé and her team have Beyoncé everywhere. Obviously, everyone knows that Beyonce is a style thief who copies and can’t be bothered to sing her own songs live. Plus 4, despite selling millions, was a floppity-flop-flop. The only way she could still be getting so much press is she’s paying blogs and other folks to write about her. Obviously. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY.

What really happens: Blogs wish Beyoncé was handing out cash since most blogs are cash-strapped, grindhouses where writers churn out tons of copy for what – back in the day – used to be a salary newspaper job with benefits. That gig is now a freelance “content provider” position where you get paid between $25 and $200 per story depending on what blog you write for. And health benefits? Ha. What are those?

Read the full story at Clutch Magazine Online.

Meanwhile, In A Macon, Ga. Underground Bunker ...

Macon, Ga. secret home of underground organization "The Secret Council of American Negroes." (Photo via Wikipedia)

SETTING: The underground office of the mysterious HNIC, the enigmatic leader of legendary, underground pro-black organization, The Secret Council of American Negroes, aka "SCAN." Founded by Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman in 1865, SCAN is a secret organization that is actually behind ever black advancement in the history of America. Voting Rights Act of 1964? That was SCAN. Michael Jackson? SCAN engineered him in their research labs. Black man in space? SCAN. Oprah? SCAN. The Jolie-Pitts moving to New Orleans to build houses after Katrina? We got a kid on that. Operation Real David Palmer, aka "The Election of Barack Obama." Who do you think? Halle Berry's Oscar for "Monster's Ball." C'mon. She's not that good. SCAN, baby. SCAN. We're everywhere. We're the organization your white friends keep asking about. We set the standard. Expect us, baby. EXPECT US. 

Right after we wake up from this nap ...

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Clutch Magazine: When the So-Called "Nice Guy" Isn't Nice

Thursday for Clutch, The Snob tackles the legendary "Nice Guy." AKA, the dude who swears he's nice, but then calls you a bitch for not saying hello. Yes. Yes that does sound like something a nice person would do.

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The Snob Honored As A Politic365 Game Changer

The Snob is featured on Politic365 this month as a Game Changer. I was named among the sites Game Changer honorees in 2012, so it's now my turn to be featured on the site. I was honored for my work in online writer, aka, "bloggin'!"

Other Game Changers include Cornell Belcher, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. Check out the other honorees here.

In Celebration of Difficult Women: She's Not Crazy, She's My Friend

In honor of Women's History Month I'm dedicating various posts to the ten different women who I've called my "best friend" at different times in my life, as well as the dozens of other women who are my close friends as well. Who've been there for me. Who have even saved my life. This one goes out to the half of you my guy friends won't date because they're convinced you'll reign terror on them for imaginary slights when you only attack when provoked by cheaters, liars, abusers and other horrible people you may date:

"I don't think you should do that," I tell her ... or should I say, I tell the 1,001st version of her I've known. She's a friend. She's a very good friend. She's a best friend. I love her and she loves me more. She's funny and loyal and caring and always there. 

She's also the one all my guy friends call "crazy."

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Jada Prather: The Artist Behind The Snob

As long-time Snob readers may know, I'm also a cartoonist and painter (although I don't do much of either anymore thanks to switching over to writing full-time). Luckily, I have a bestie who does the artsy-fartsy lifting for me -- New York City-based artist, Jada Prather.

Prather designed both my blacksnob logo and my personal brand "Danielle Belton" logo where my name is written in my hair. Prather is a brilliant digital illustrator and painter. I wish I could do with guache and watercolors what he can do. He's also (obviously) deft at logo design, developing a special font just for the blacksnob logo. 

Jada, finally, finished designing his own logo after designing so many logos for others. It's gorgeous work and ever the perfectionist, he took his time creating it.

So, congrats on finally getting that logo done, friend! And please, check out Prather's art on his Facebook page here.

Re-Designed and Writing Again

Photo by Christopher FarberI'm back. No, like for real this time. At least until I get another job that takes over my entire life. Which I'm always under threat of doing. So let's enjoy this while it lasts before I run off to do the news for a TV station in Ecuador or something.

Love,

P.S. Stick around this week for my take on the sequester, the Harlem Shake (both real and this fake one going around), why I un-ironically love Porsha Stewart from Real Housewives of Atlanta, as well as my usual contributions to Clutch Magazine Online, and more! (Including a surprise treat on Friday!)

The Snob In New Book "Where Did Our Love Go?"

The Snob recently got published in Gil L. Robertson, IV's new essay compilation book Where Did Our Love Go? It's a book about black love and marriage and what has changed about both those things in recent years. I contributed a chapter on why marriage is less popular than it used to be under the "divorced" section called "The Problem With Marriage." As long-time Snob readers know, I was briefly married in my early 20s and watched that bake, crack and dry up in the hot West Texas sun. It hasn't made me bitter, but it did open my eyes to some realities about myself and what marriage is and isn't.

Extended snippet after the jump.

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Where In America Was The Snob This February?

A round-up of what I've did, what I'm doing and where I've been this month so far! (Image via CCTV)

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