Talking That Gangsta Shit

What does Ta-Nehsisi Coates have to say about Stanley Crouch? "Along with being one of the great essayists of his generation, Crouch has always been a man who took Ishmael Reed's Writin' Is Fightin' a little too seriously." Mostly, she adds with a little help from Nelson George, because he's got some serious manhood issues. Here's another fave quote:

Crouch's street mojo also adds another layer of mystique, particularly for his white fans. His brand of withering attacks against black nationalism and the black left would normally open the assailant to essentialist charges about his "blackness." But to the frustration of his targets, Crouch is the real deal for the Tina Brown set. From his jazz criticism, to his folksy Southern lilt, down to his willingness invoke the ghost of Joe Louis, Crouch always manages to sound like his ghetto pass is at the ready. Even if in his writing Crouch derides the ethics of the street, his actions close the distance between him and the gangsta rappers he abhors, making cartoons of them all.

About the only thing that I want out of the whole Crouch thing is for Bill Cosby to tear into his ass for being an embarassment.