Founder at Extraordinary Ideas. Senior Editor at The Root. Contributor, consultant, and friendly neighborhood NDA signee everywhere else.
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HBO Max On The Record Presents Dear Sisters: Examining Allyship and Masculinity in the Black Community. Moderated By: Jay Connor Panelists: Ebro Darden, Jidenna & Tiq Milan
Director Steven Caple Jr. talks about Tobe Nwigwe's character "Reek", whose moving story is little-known to the world.
This story is part of our new Hip-Hop: ’73 Till Infinity series, a celebration of the genre’s 50th anniversary.
What do you give the man who has everything? From Grammy Awards to an elusive Dr. Dre co-sign to an extremely lucrative Las Vegas residency, Anderson .Paak—born Brandon Paak Anderson—seemingly has it all. But when you have a limitless well of gifts to draw from, it’s abundantly clear that the Oxnard, Calif., native has barely scratched the surface of his potential. So why not “Leave the Door Open” for it?
Well, hello there! Welcome back to Wakanda. When last we left you, Killmonger “knew death was better than bondage,” Okoye and W’Kabi were in dire need of marriage counseling, and King T’Challa—played by the incomparable Chadwick Boseman—was being positioned to become the next franchise cornerstone of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But sadly, fate had other plans.
Once Frank’s set began—which is still up for dispute depending upon who you ask—instead of him actually taking the stage, we were treated to what looked like a colonoscopy: cramped, chaotic visuals that could easily be mistaken for either deleted scenes from The Blair Witch Project or a Minecraft sex tape. Apparently, it was supposed to be a replication of his creative process—Frank hunched over the mic in the studio swarmed by musicians and pissed-off fans screaming, “This is a terrible fucking idea!”—but instead, all we got was a shitty mini-doc on how to get vertigo at Coachella. Fun times!
Black women have always been at the forefront of the movement. From the tireless efforts of civil rights icon Ella Baker; to the unsung contributions of Coretta Scott King, who railed against racial injustice through song, fundraising, and other means; to other heroines like Daisy Bates or the astonishing work that WNBA players continue to put in today; Black women have proven time and time and time again that when they lead, we all win.
In the closing moments of Showtime’s moving All Up in the Biz documentary, a tearful Big Daddy Kane—who’s universally revered for his stoic nature and unwavering cool—ponders a life that never was thanks to the intervention of hip-hop’s court jester: the diabolical Biz Markie. And while countless others take turns throughout the film reflecting on their own rapport with a man who meant much more to them than “Just a Friend,” one can’t help but wonder if hip-hop itself would pose the same question if offered the opportunity to do so.
After flambéing middle-class, white liberals in 2017’s Get Out, only to take classism and “ignoring the ramifications of privilege” to task in 2019’s Us, Jordan Peele—whose tether became the first Black writer-director to crack $100 million with his cinematic debut—has returned to torment and bewilder us all with his latest creation, Nope.
In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, T'Challa's little sister Shuri takes center stage as she faces off against Talokan leader Namor.
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis are kind of a big deal. In the decades since Harris’ humble beginnings as the 16-year-old secret weapon behind the Minneapolis-based funk outfit Mind & Matter, the legendary production duo has accrued over 100 platinum certifications, 16 Billboard Hot 100 number ones (and counting), five Grammys, a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, countless other awards, and the unwavering respect and adulation of their peers.
Let’s get this out the way now: 'Bel-Air' is not 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'; nor does it aspire to be. To reinforce that distinction, Peacock bills its audacious reboot as a “contemporary dramatic reimagining of the beloved and culture-defining 90s sitcom”—and that description couldn’t be more accurate. While the show’s original incarnation chronicled Will’s collision course with Black opulence through the lens of boundless hijinks and hilarity, Bel-Air is decidedly much darker; firmly entrenched in the conflicts and emotions of our modern world while still honoring the spirit and innovation of its predecessor. So while you won’t see Carlton Banks embarrassing our ancestors to Tom Jones, you will see him still grapple with his identity and explore what it means to be Black through the prism of white kids who “don’t see color.”
While this declaration is accompanied by the disclaimer that yes, "The Harder They Fall" is a fictionalized work of art, this prelude serves as a timely reminder that while Jeymes Samuel’s first foray into feature film is unlike anything we’ve ever experienced before—though there are not-so-subtle nods to its forefathers like 1993’s Posse and the groundbreaking Buck and the Preacher—it’s steeped in the exact type of lore that historians either conveniently whitewash or blatantly dismiss.
The star of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever talks about making the sequel without its hero.
This three-part documentary does a masterful job of contextualizing Kanye’s indelible impact on pop culture, while adding a new dimension to the uncharted layers of his enigmatic lore. However, it’s up to you to decide—in light of his increasingly disturbing behavior in recent years—if this foray into undeniable genius is too little, too late to salvage what’s left of the Grammy Award-winning artist’s legacy.
I recall being both appalled and aghast upon waking up the next morning to this horrifying news and wishing there was something—anything—I could do to alleviate the anguish and fear that threatened to unravel so many of my friends. But in my efforts to be supportive, I also realized that I was operating out of sympathy instead of empathy—much like white folks do when they feign concern for our well-being but aren’t willing to forfeit their privilege—and got called out for it.
If there’s a man who needs no introduction, it’s Bryan-Michael Cox. From his humble beginnings as a Noontime Records intern, to recently becoming the Senior Vice President of A&R at Love Renaissance, the Houston transplant has always been about the music. More specifically, the R&B music.
When we say this among ourselves, the implication is understood. But since we now live in a world rife with brand spanking new “allies,” that phrase likely requires an explanation. Racism is exhausting, which, in turn, means white people are inherently exhausting too. Every single day of our lives, we’re either exposed to racism, recovering from it or suffering from the paranoia and anxiety of waiting for it to inevitably resurface.
Yet be it pride, narcissism, mental illness, or otherwise, Kanye genuinely believes he’s somehow acting in the best interest of black progress while basking in his starring role as Trump’s ventriloquist dummy.
“As we started to encroach on the 100th anniversary of the massacre, I saw the parallels of the past and the present,” Dr. Crutcher said. “The racial terror violence that my great-grandmother had to endure and flee in fear of her life is the same racial terror and state-sanctioned violence that Terence had to endure.”
