The Tragic Story of Florence Ballard, The Soulful Singer Who Started The Supremes
A Timeline of Kim Kardashian and Ray J’s Decades-Long Rocky Relationship
Exclusive: The Honey Pot Co. CEO Beatrice Dixon Shares Her Ancestral Recipe for Empire Building in New Memoir
Rapper Lil Jon Break Silence After His Son’s Tragic Death
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Entitled Mediocre White Men Join Writers’ Room for Fantasy TV Series Called Reverse Racism
Sometimes, I fantasize about writers’ rooms. As a creative person, I thoroughly enjoy the collaborative nature of the entertainment industry. Yes, even as a writer who typically does most of their work in a solitary state, there is nothing like immersing yourself in the creative energy of a film set or bouncing ideas around in…
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Dave Chapelle, Yasiin Bey's The Midnight Miracle Highlights the Next Chapter of Luminary's Evolution
My Moms once taught me that if I don’t have anything nice to say about people like Talib Kweli—who has “shove too many syllables into a sentence” and “harass Black women” circled on his daily agenda—then don’t say anything at all. Here is my valiant attempt at doing so. On Tuesday, Luminary, a subscription-based podcast…
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![It's Not Handled: Judy Smith—Yes, the Real-Life Olivia Pope—Quit Because Even She Can't Fix the HFPA Anymore [Updated]](https://assets-server.theroot.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/25161142/jnxz9uibnlyvxcwe5i0o-300x169.png)
It's Not Handled: Judy Smith—Yes, the Real-Life Olivia Pope—Quit Because Even She Can't Fix the HFPA Anymore [Updated]
Do you hear that? That’s the sound of the camera shutter clicking as we transition to the next scene in Shonda Rhimes’ Scandal—actually, it’s the sound of transition for the real-life inspiration behind Olivia Pope, author and crisis management expert Judy Smith because she is parting ways with her clients at the Hollywood Foreign Press…
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H.E.R., DaBaby, Dionne Warwick All Set to Appear for Clive Davis’ 2nd 'Pre-Grammy Gala'
Though the Grammys took place back in March, Clive Davis is keeping the celebratory spirit alive by pressing forward with the second part of his annual “Pre-Grammy Gala.” Variety reports that due to Davis’ recent diagnosis of Bell’s Palsy plus the already limiting factors of the pandemic, the celebration had to be pushed out to…
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It's 4/20, So Here Are Some of the Best Games to Roll Something Up With
Happy 4/20 folks! As you hopefully know, I’m the resident gamer person at The Root. In addition to playing quite a few video games, I also smoke quite a bit of weed. For obvious reasons, the last year saw me engaging in quite a bit of both those things. So, on this most sacred of…
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Producer Hit-Boy Reflects on the Impact of DMX, Other Influential Artists on 10 Songs That Made Me
In case you haven’t heard Spotify’s 10 Songs That Made Me, you’re missing your blessing. In their latest Music + Talk show, they’ve created a unique listening experience by allowing influential tastemakers and creatives to reflect on the 10 songs that’ve left a tremendous impact on each of their lives. Music producer Hit-Boy, who’s worked…
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Megan Thee Stallion, Roddy Ricch, City Girls All Tapped for Rolling Loud Miami 2021
Rolling Loud, the Miami-based three-day hip-hop festival, is back and ready for action for this year’s festivities. Though last year’s festival was postponed—ya know because of the parallelogram—OkayPlayer reports that a few of the same headlining acts are set to perform. That includes folks like Post Malone, A$AP Rocky, and Travis Scott. Additional artists announced…
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How It Feels To Breathe a Brief Sigh of Relief After Inhaling America's Bile, According to Black Twitter
Three counts. Derek Chauvin is (legally) a murderer. He murdered George Floyd. On Tuesday evening, Chauvin was convicted on all three counts—second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter. Black Twitter had their collective eyes on their respective screens watching to see the results from the ongoing live-streamed trial. We heard the verdict for three separate counts.…
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Verzuz Alert! Blaze Up & Chill Out With These OG Rappers in Honor of 4/20
Last month, we witnessed the iconic Verzuz matchup between Wu-Tang Clan members and two of New York’s finest Ghostface Killah and Raekwon. Now, we’re being blessed with another smokin’ hot hip-hop battle: OG Kush rappers Method Man and Red Man. If you remember, the How High actors were announced to face-off the same day as…
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Former President of HFPA Reportedly Called BLM a 'Racist Hate Movement'
As you may know by now, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which conducts the annual Golden Globe Awards, has had to do some extra public relations fixing in the past few months. Just about a week before the 78th Golden Globes ceremony was to take place, a scathing report was released in regards to…