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Judge of Characters: The Whitewashing of Black History
This week, white people took their boldness to another level and delivered us a white version of what was said to be the true Queen Nefertiti. Expedition Unknown’s Josh Gates showed up to the Today show to share a bust he worked on with Egyptologist Aidan Dodson. And that’s exactly where things got awkward, you…
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Watch: Ever Wonder What Was in a Hotep Starter Kit?
The word “Hotep” has gained a lot of traction online in recent years. By definition, Hotep means peace—like a greeting. To have Damon Young of Very Smart Brothas tell it, Hotep is the Egyptian version of “What’s good?” Now the word represents a very specific form of male performative pro-blackness that is anti-everything except limited…
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Black Panther Delivers the Biggest, Blackest Superhero Movie Ever and It’s Just as Good as You Want It to Be
When I sat in the theater and screened Black Panther, I felt like the woman in the audience at the Five Heartbeats’ show who couldn’t stop squirming out of her seat. And then I Googled “Wakanda ticket prices,” as if the country were real. The short review is: Black Panther is a thing of cinematic…
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Judge of Characters: An Ode to Black Twitter
Black Twitter is an almighty force that’s not only been able to make the best memes the internet has ever seen but has also managed to get movies made and racists fired, as well as expose the horrific trend of police brutality across the country. It’s so big, it can’t be contained. And for that,…
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Blue Ivy Shushes Beyoncé and Jay-Z, ‘We Come in Peace, but We Mean Business’ and More of the Best Moments of the 2018 Grammys
The Grammys were all about messages this year. From Blue Ivy letting us know she runs the Knowles-Carter household, to everyone with white roses in support of Time’s Up, Kendrick Lamar’s American satire and Kesha’s powerful Time’s Up-esque performance (featuring Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, Andra Day and more), taking a stand has become an important…
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How I Barely Survived #GrammyWeek
It’s Grammy Week here in New York City. I’ve RSVP’d for and attended about six events. Once the Grammys are over, I will be taking a nap until further notice. This girl is exhausted. The Grammy Awards have returned to the Big Apple for the first time since 2003, and as a New Yorker (by…
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Judge of Characters: Inequality for All, Especially in Hollywood
While many people may have heard Mo’Nique’s “cries” about the gender and color bias in Hollywood and rolled their eyes, there were others of us who wholeheartedly agreed with her. Inequality reigns supreme in Hollywood. It’s the reason Jessica Chastain helped Octavia Spencer negotiate a higher salary. It’s the reason a very white Scarlett Johansson…
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This Conversation With Erykah Badu Will Make You Wonder if She Dabbles in Hotepery
“I don’t care if the whole group says something; I’m going to be honest. I know I don’t have the most popular opinion sometimes,” Erykah Badu said during an interview with Vulture that left me wondering if years of breathing in incense fumes could cause brain damage, because these opinions of hers are problematic, to…
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Can We Talk About Amara La Negra’s Appearance on The Breakfast Club?
The Love & Hip Hop franchise has a new Afro-Latina on its roster: Amara La Negra. And the buxom, gray-eyed, Afro-rocking, melanin-poppin’ recording artist is making major waves online, mostly because of the criticism surrounding her dark skin and kinky hair. Before you check your calendar, yes, I can confirm that it is indeed 2018…
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Watch: Who Should 50 Cent Cast in Power Next?
If given the chance to shoot rapper-producer 50 Cent, what would you do? During press interviews for Den of Thieves, I asked 50 Cent and his co-stars, Gerard Butler, O’Shea Jackson and Pablo Schreiber, to show me their stellar acting skills. The result was a couple of iffy 50 Cent impersonations, and then 50 Cent…
