(The Root) — The highly regarded film director Kahlil Joseph pushes the artistic envelope in the promo video for Until the Quiet Comes, the upcoming new album from Los Angeles producer Flying Lotus. The short film, set in a Watts housing project in Los Angeles, explores Joseph’s imaginative interpretation of death, violence, innocence and real…

(The Root) — Aaron Kohn and Phil Sandick, co-creators of The African Lookbook, have provided a space for people to purchase contemporary African goods while providing the narratives behind the creations and exposing to the world the people who proudly represent the continent. The sit started off as a project between the two college students that…

(The Root) — This Labor Day weekend, the City of Brotherly Love will be buzzing with people anxious to experience Jay-Z headlining the first Budweiser Made in America Festival. The event will take place on Sept. 1 and 2 on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, right in the heart of downtown Philadelphia. The concerts are expected to…

After the death of hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty was reported on Thursday, many entertainment industry insiders expressed their grief and shock. A-list musicians and actors including John Legend, Rihanna and Omar Epps took to Twitter to share their personal stories and extend condolences to his family. Just woke up to the worst news. Damn homie.…

(The Root) — To make up for last year’s Hurricane Irene-related cancellation, Afro-Punk has ensured that its lineup for this year’s festival will be bigger and better than ever. Erykah Badu, Janelle Monáe and Gym Class Heroes will be the headliners at the eighth annual event. The weekend festival, which is free to the public,…

If you’ve ever wondered why Muslim men grow their beards, why Muslim women conceal their bodies or if you aren’t quite clear what Sharia Law is, there’s a simple way to find the right answers instead of drawing your own conclusions: “Ask a Muslim.” In a Web series presented by Black Public Media and the…

(The Root) — Louis Vuitton has debuted a new ad campaign honoring boxing icon Muhammad Ali by enlisting the talents of rapper and actor Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) and graphic designer Niels Shoe Meulman. In the videos for the poems “Dream” and “Word,” Meulman uses a broom to paint the words in…

(The Root) — Former professional boxer Mike Tyson will be taking his acting talents from Las Vegas to Broadway with his one-man show, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth. Under the direction of the film do-it-all Spike Lee, the fighter-turned-thespian will perform at the Longacre Theatre from July 31 to Aug. 12. The show, an autobiographical account…

(The Root) — New Yorkers young and old are encouraged to add some reading to their weekend and attend the Harlem Book Fair 2012, presented by the Quarterly Black Review. On Saturday, July 21, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture will be the site of the annual…