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The artist's forays into singing prove that he’s a better rapper than he is a crooner. But “Kamaal/Abstract“ is still a good record.
Q-Tip's Kamaal/Abstract -
From Langston Hughes to Jhumpa Lahiri to Ntozake Shange, find a good book to cozy up with this winter.
What the Staff at The Root Is Reading -
How a black American dance enthusiast created a name for herself as a salsa teacher in Japan.
A Black American's Salsa Dancing Experience in Japan -
The latest app to add to your iPhone is a good look.
The Root Tryout: Adobe Photoshop iPhone App -
Who would they destroy? Mac or PC? This year's crop of MacArthur Fellows dish about how their worst habits, how their friends see them and other random things.
Inside the Mind of a 2009 MacArthur Fellow: Rackstraw Downes -
Who would they destroy? Mac or PC? This year's crop of MacArthur Fellows dish about how their worst habits, how their friends see them and other random things.
Inside the Mind of a 2009 MacArthur Fellow: Lynsey Addario -
The Phillies and the Yankees face off tonight in Game 1 of the 105th World Series, and the whole deal may come down to whether the Phillies’ ace Pedro Martinez can forget what the Yanks did to him and the Red Sox in 2003.
The Phillies vs. The New York Yankees: Who Will Win the World Series? -
The NBA regular season kicks off tonight with two games in the East and two in the West. The Root's Martin Johnson takes a look at how the season is likely to play out.
The Root's Martin Johnson with an NBA Season Preview -
Who would they destroy? Mac or PC? This year's crop of MacArthur Fellows dish about how their worst habits, how their friends see them, and other random things.
Inside the Mind of the 2009 MacArthur Fellows: Esther Duflo -
Who would they destroy? Mac or PC? This year's crop of MacArthur Fellows dish about how their worst habits, how their friends see them, and other random things.
Inside the Mind of the 2009 MacArthur Fellows: Daniel Mikhail Sigman
TOP OF THE TREE
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Oprah's Blackest Moments
by The Root ContributorsOprah Winfrey recently announced plans for retirement in 2011. The talk show host may have a stronghold on white, suburban housewives, but The Root contributors remember moments when Oprah kept it real—black.
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What Kobe, LeBron and Dwyane Owe Spencer Haywood
by Martin JohnsonForty years ago, Haywood became the first player to leave college early and go to the pros—proving that young players got game, too.
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Shaniya's Shame
by Malika Saada SaarThe murder of 5-year-old Shaniya Davis highlights a disturbing and growing trend in the U.S.: the trafficking of young girls into sexual slavery.
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Storming the Court?
by Sherrilyn A. IfillWhen it comes to appointing federal judges, President Obama shouldn’t try to play center. Centrist judges will not balance judges on the right. Left balances right.
VIEWS
- SEE ALL VIEWS
The (Not So) New World Order
Yinka Shonibare MBE’s career retrospective at the Smithsonian just goes to show how strange things get when the empire strikes black.
Maybe Your Great-Grandmother Really Was Cherokee
A new exhibit at the National Museum of the American Indian traces black-Native American relations from the 1500s to the present.
Is the USDA Still the Last Plantation?
During the Bush administration, 13,999 racial discrimination cases were swept under the rug at the Agriculture Department. What will Secretary Tom Vilsack do about it?
Rakim's Back
Def Jam is 25. "Rapper’s Delight" is 30. And Rakim is 41. But with his latest album, The Seventh Seal, hip-hop heads can remember the best of the golden age.
Color-Struck Around The Globe
Sammy Sosa’s new vampire complexion is a jarring reminder that, from the Dominican Republic to Dakar to New Delhi, white is still right, yellow is still mellow and if you’re black, get back.









