Month in Review: May ’26
I’ll be talking about May 2026 for the rest of my days here on earth. Here’s a recap in nine frames.
— FRAME 001
The Opening Frame
May 1st is the anniversary of my father’s sunset, and this year marks 24 years since he traded earth for God’s kingdom. I opened this month subconsciously honoring my pops by hitting up DBS Sounds in Riverdale, a record store I’ve been meaning to visit since I moved to Atlanta last summer. You see, some of my most prominent memories with my dad were our trips to this music spot called The Wiz (R.I.P.) in Jamaica, Queens. He’d cop the latest CDs and often treat my brother and me to a new video game—I specifically remember Grand Theft Auto III and WWF SmackDown! Just Bring It. My visit to DBS Sounds took me right back to those trips.
Of all the record shops I’ve visited in Georgia, DBS Sounds has the best selection. The owners Tobago and Mooch, two brothers from New York by way of Trinidad, were mad cool, too. I told them the significance of May 1 for me, and shared what this time in their store stirred up for me and how grateful I was for their space. It’s a real music store. Something about DBS Sounds just feels so classic, in the best way possible. There’s almost no better way to celebrate my dad—or start a month—than indulging in a bit of rap retail therapy.
— FRAME 002
A Highlight
I walked into the operating room to see Kenya sprawled out, head turned to the side, throwing up in a bag held by a nurse, as surgeons and nurses sawed and clawed through her abdominal muscles in search of the sweetest bundle of joy. The spinal anesthesia really did a number on my lady. I did my best to comfort Kenya through her distress, unfortunately to little avail. But on this Monday morning, on May 11 at 8:53, the chaos would all become worth it. Our baby girl Nola was successfully evicted from the womb. She arrived on the scene healthy, 8 pounds and 12 ounces, and 21 inches long. (Looks like we got a hooper on our hands!) And aside from the bout of nausea, Kenya made it through the C-section with no complications and is on her way to a full recovery. Becoming a dad is everything I dreamed it would be—and more.
— FRAME 003
What It Sounded Like
May was quietly a great month for new music. And in between Nola’s hunger cries, I was able to spend some time with a few releases: Isaiah Rashad’s It’s Been Awful, Latto’s Big Mama, 6lack’s Love is the New Gangsta, Nick Grant’s Smile, Drake’s Habibti, SWAVAY’s The Prelude EP, Freddie Gibb’s RBT EP, Kai Cash’s Bars Not Dead EP, Deante’ Hitchcock’s Junkie in the Sun, and a few others. Kehlani’s album is still heavy in rotation, too.
— FRAME 004
A Lowlight
To know me is to know I’m a momma’s boy. Full stop. My mom came down for the birth of Nola, her first grandchild. It was her first time coming to Atlanta since we moved here. It was such a blessing. Her three weeks here was the most time we’ve spent together continually since Covid. We really kicked it. She helped around the house, helped take care of our pup Miles—and most of all, she cooked, cooked, and cooked some more. So why is this my May lowlight? It’s because she left.
Thankfully, she’ll be back in a few weeks for my birthday, my first Father’s Day, and let’s be real, to see Nola. It took my mother a a year to visit us in Atlanta. Now that Nola’s here, I’ll have seen her in consecutive months.
— FRAME 005
The Meal
Aside from my mother’s cooking, one meal this month stands above the rest. On Mother’s Day, we went to Marcel for what’d be our last meal before parenthood. The food there is always great, and it better be given how damn expensive it is. It’s the type of spot you have to book weeks in advance. And we had a big party: me, Kenya, my mother and mother-in-law, Kenya’s sisters, and one of their partners. This was me and Kenya’s third time there, and we’re planning to revisit for Father’s Day. I already made the reservation. I normally get the ribeye, but I might try the filet mignon next time around.
— FRAME 006
What I Was Watching
If I’m watching television, 9.5 times out of 10 it’s something basketball-related. So obviously, I’ve been locked in on the NBA playoffs and the WNBA season. (Wemby has a far way to go, but he could quite literally end up being the greatest NBA player we’ve ever seen LOL.) But during paternity leave, I also took this time to binge-watch The Chi with Kenya. It’s the first show I’ve binge-watched since The Wire back in 2020.
I definitely have more than a handful of critiques (especially the writing), but overall, I think it’s a pretty solid show. There are myriad aspects of the show I appreciate: particularly the range of Black women—and Black people in general—represented. I didn’t think I’d make it through, but here I am following along season 8 as it airs. I didn’t realize this is the longest-running Black drama in premium cable history. I’m eager to see how they wrap up it all up. I will report back!
— FRAME 007
What I Was Reading
I finished two books this month, both of them phenomenal: James by Percival Everett and God Help the Child by Toni Morrison. You can read all my thoughts about James here, but the TL;DR version is that it was spectacular and more than deserving of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award it received. The very day after I finished James, I picked up Toni Morrison’s last novel God Help the Child and finished it in less than two days. It's a poignant book about a mother who can’t love her dark-skinned daughter—what you do to children matters, and they might never forget—and I read it with my newborn asleep right next to me. It goes without saying that Mrs. Morrison is on a shortlist of the best authors to grace the planet, and this was a testament to that. I’ll have a more thorough book review on niggasdontread.com soon—but for now, I’ll just reiterate that it was great. Both of these books did wonders for me, allowing for much-needed small escapes.
— FRAME 008
A Purchase
I bought a lot (!) of records this month—probably more than any single month since I started collecting. I found a seller sitting on a stash of hard-to-get joints I’d been chasing for a minute: Westside Gunn, Rome Streetz, Domo Genesis, and then some. (Follow my Instagram—@hardcopy.blog—dedicated solely to physical media.) But one record is worth sitting with some more. And it takes me back to childhood moments in Queens once more.
I remember riding around with my dad in his brand-new burgundy Expedition, whatever was hottest CD spinning in the deck—more than likely copped from The Wiz. This time in particular—spring break, 2002, less than two months before Daddy died—it was HOV and R. Kelly’s Best of Both Worlds. You couldn’t drive two blocks in New York without it pouring out of somebody’s speakers.
So I’m at DBS Sounds, watching Tobago and Mooch run their usual Friday-morning live—the one where they walk through everything moving in the shop, their upcoming events, and all the new inventory. And on this day, of all days, my dad’s sunset anniversary, they’d just pulled an original pressing of Best of Both Worlds. Now look—I don’t fuck with R. Kelly. Not even a little. That man needs to stay exactly where he is, and that’s in a prison cell. But… I couldn’t resist buying the record. I hate that it's R. Kelly. I swear I do. I just love the memories with my dad more. This record is a memory in physical form. And landing in my hands on that day of all days, I had to cop it. For what it's worth: I've had it a month now, and it still hasn't touched my turntable.
— FRAME 009
The Closing Frame
For obvious reasons, I will never forget the month of May in the year 2026. My life forever changed this month. And I’m so thankful. We welcomed a healthy, beautiful baby girl. I got to spend precious time with my mother. I’m two books closer to accomplishing my yearly reading goal. I added upwards of 30 coveted records to my collection. My writer’s vision is becoming clearer and clearer. And I can’t forget—ndr. is hard relaunching in the coming days. June is looking up: my birthday, my first Father’s Day, my grandmother pulling up to the A (and flying on a plane for the first time in her life), and more. I also know my granddad is gonna be reveling in heaven as he watches his Knicks fight for their first ring since 1973.
