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'Red Tails': Guilt-Trip Cinema
If Hollywood executives take away anything from this past weekend’s opening box office numbers for Red Tails, it is this: A lot of black people went to the movies. Media outlets like Entertainment Weekly are already spinning how George Lucas’ $58 million passion project, based on the true story of the African-American World War II…
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Meet Papa Jay-Z
Jay-Z released “Glory,” a song dedicated to Blue Ivy Carter, his newborn daughter with wife Beyoncé, on Monday. When I pressed play on the sentimental track, I was shocked. Rap has been here before, of course. Only people who haven’t spent many years listening to as much hip-hop as possible would be surprised that the…
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Top 5 of All Time: Black Christmas Songs
Chances are people will bah-humbug the songs not listed. Understood. I know there are more than five great holiday songs, but here’s what else I know: These songs are great. One of them is undeniable, three of them are unquestionable and one of them will probably make some scoff because they think it’s absurd that…
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Rubbing Fans' Noses in Rappers' Riches
By now many of us have heard Watch the Throne, the blockbuster collaborative album by Kanye West and Jay-Z that was released exclusively on iTunes Monday. By now, opinions have been formed. For some of us, our high hopes were met; for others, the album falls short. Whatever our opinions, there’s no denying that both…
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New Spider-Man: Not the Obama of Comics
To hear some tell it, this week marks an important moment in black history: the debut of a half-black, half-Hispanic Spider-Man in Marvel’s “Ultimate Fallout No. 4.” The kid’s name is Miles Morales, and he takes over for Peter Parker, Spider-Man’s alter ego, who was killed in “Ultimate Spider-Man No. 160.” We have Donald Glover…
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Essence Music Festival: From Boyz II Men to Kanye West
Much like the women’s magazine it’s named after, the Essence Music Festival — from its musical acts to the panel topics at its empowerment series — directs everything toward the type of folk who are not only black and proud but also arguably proud to be black Americans. For those who descended upon New Orleans…
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The Root Interview With Big Daddy Kane
It really shouldn’t be this easy to get access to a legend in any genre of the arts, but in a nearly empty room on the second floor of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Big Daddy Kane sits patiently, giving interviews. He’s at the Essence Music Festival, this hip-hop pioneer associated…
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Black Women and Good Stereotypes
When I clicked on the link to watch the “Black Marriage Negotiations” video that’s been invading inboxes and Facebook walls over the past week, I was expecting to see something funny. Not just because the subject line said something like, “LOL!!! YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS,” but also because marriage has always been a good…
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The Root Interview: Kevin Liles Talks 'Def Jam Rapstar'
When the holiday season comes, don’t be surprised to see the Def Jam Rapstar (Def Jam Interactive/4mm Games) video game at the top of a lot of people’s Christmas lists, even those of the adults. Part Guitar Hero, part Rock Band, part karaoke, Def Jam Rapstar is one of the most interactive music video games…
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The Root Interview: Bilal on Making a Comeback
To call Bilal’s new album, Airtight’s Revenge, a comeback album would be misleading, even if it somewhat feels that way for the Philadelphia-raised, New York-based singer. It’s not as if Bilal (his full name is Bilal Oliver) has been sleeping at the piano since first making noise with his 2001 album, 1st Born Second. Just…
