Hey! It's Black History Month! And it's leap year, too, so we get a special extra day of blackness in the media. Here's an in-depth report that I like to call "Black History Month: What's Up With Black People These Days?"

From today's Times: the hip-hop generation is all grown up and should wear suits now. It's step two of the black-specific clothing marketing plan. Bling is over! Tracksuits are done! Please buy more expensive shit to keep designers in business.

According to the Daily News, rap moguls Russell Simmons and Damon Dash of the Hip Hop Summit went off on a crowd of white people at a Democrat thinktank uptown. Reportedly, no one has any idea what he was talking about. (He should have sent his wife Kimora Lee, as she has a way with words — but she was probably busy directing her household staff of 14.)

Well, looks like those are all the black people in the news today — one presentation of a marketing scheme in the paper of record and one gossip item painting an incredibly successful (if highly annoying) businessman as a buffoon. Okay, we'll look for more black people tomorrow! Maybe Nicole Richie will slice someone up at fashion week.
In a Suit, Hip-Hop Grows Up and Buttons Down [NYT]
Ruffled Russell Sounds Off [NYDN]