President Barack Obama met privately with a gaggle of socially conscious and/or highly influential rappers and singers Friday at the White House to push for support of his My Brother’s Keeper initiative, dedicated to helping young men and boys of color. The Hill reports that rappers Busta Rhymes, Common, J. Cole, Wale, Ludacris and Chance…

Old-school rapper—and longtime Bronx, N.Y., resident—Slick Rick became an American citizen Friday after many years fighting deportation, reports the New York Daily News.   Born Ricky Walters in the United Kingdom, Rick came into fame in the 1980s with the iconic hip-hop classic, “La-Di-Da-Di” (later redone by Snoop Dogg) as part of Doug E. Fresh’s…

Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser told lawmakers and city residents Friday that the District deserves representation in Congress, and she called for a citywide vote in November on the issue, reports the Washington Post. “I propose we take another bold step toward democracy in the District of Columbia,” Bowser said at a breakfast meeting in the…

Prince (born Prince Rogers Nelson) was hospitalized on Friday after his private jet made an emergency landing in Illinois. TMZ was the first to report that Prince’s private jet made an unscheduled landing at Quad City Airport in Moline, Ill., a little after 1 a.m. Initial reports had fans and admirers scared that something serious…

First of all, how much do we love the fact that Nate Parker’s film on Nat Turner’s slave uprising is called The Birth of a Nation, reclaiming the moniker of one of the most virulently racist movies in the entire American film canon? Second, can we hardly wait for the October release, which finally and, if…