Media
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Angela Bassett Reflects On One of Her Most Iconic Roles: 'Nothing Has Been as Difficult as Tina Turner'
I don’t think I’ve gone a month of my life without hearing somebody yell or text, “Eat the cake, Annie Mae!” That quote, of course, comes from the 1993 cult classic, What’s Love Got to Do With It, in which a courageous Angela Bassett embodies the legendary songstress Tina Turner. She would win a Golden…
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Stacey Abrams Discusses the Georgia Senate Runoffs on Pharrell's OTHERtone Podcast: 'I Have No Right to Victory'
When she’s not preoccupied with protecting our democracy, penning best-selling novels, or getting nominated for a Nobel Peace prize, Stacey Abrams is dropping gems on Pharrell’s podcast, OTHERtone. On the latest episode, she chops it up with the Grammy award-winning producer and his co-hosts, music curator Scott Vener and former Star Trak recording artist Fam-Lay,…
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Danyel Smith's Black Girl Songbook Is Giving Black Women In Music Their Flowers While They Can Still Smell Them
Finally! As a devoted R&B head with aspirations to one day exorcise my hip-hop demons, I’ve waited an eternity for a Black woman to create a podcast that gives other Black women in the music industry their due. That sisterhood between sistas is often duplicated but never replicated, and there’s nothing like watching Black women…
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Kirk Franklin, Sony Music Combine Super Powers to Bring Us Some Good Words
Pastors have a tendency to be a bit long-winded. But when you need your soul fed, there’s no better chef than sanctified superstar Kirk Franklin. That’s why it should come as no surprise that the 16-time Grammy award-winning artist is bringing his gift of gab to the wonderful world of podcasts. According to Deadline, the…
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Because We Can Never Get Enough of Black Is King, Spotify's Dissect Podcast Is About to Break It All the Way Down
The early months of the pandemic were short on joy and a bit too heavy on confusion and chaos. But in July, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter—the first of her name and last of her kind—blessed us with the mind-bending Blackstravaganza that was Black Is King. In the time since its auspicious arrival, her magnum opus has…
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New Podcast Series Return Man Explores the Mysterious Death of Former NFL Star Jim Duncan
The mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of former NFL player Jim Duncan are the subject of a new narrative podcast series courtesy of iHeartMedia and independent media company McClatchy. Return Man, an eight-part documentary series, serves as the first season of the new character-driven audio anthology, “Longshot,” which explores the intersection of sports and social…
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Ava Duvernay's ARRAY Partners With Spotify to Produce Scripted, Unscripted Podcasts: 'We Couldn't Be More Excited'
From Selma to Queen Sugar to When They See Us to whatever the hell else has dominated the pop culture landscape, Ava Duvernay has made it her mission to bang us in the head with an endless ARRAY— (see what I did there?)—of dope content. And after conquering the film and television industry, the 48-year-old…
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Jemele Hill, Spotify Developing Podcast Network to Amplify Black Women: 'Content That Is Unique to Them Is a Priority'
During a recent interview with Bloomberg, multi-hyphenate Jemele Hill opined on the media’s response to social justice protests this past summer, her journey as a podcaster and television personality, and future plans for her burgeoning media empire. As we reported here at The Root, that includes comedy New Money receiving the green light from Showtime,…
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Hi, She's Janice Johnston, and This Is the 1st Woman and 1st Black Executive Producer of 20/20
It’s a new year, and though we may not be able to make “Hi, I’m Barbara Walters…and this is 20/20” jokes anymore about the year, 2021 is kicking off with some historic news for the long-time news program. On Thursday, ABC News announced that Janice Johnston has been promoted to executive producer of 20/20. With…
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It's Kwanzaa Time! And ABF Creative Has the Perfect Podcast to Enjoy the Holiday With a New Twist
Christmas might be in the rearview, but Kwanzaa is in full swing—as evidenced by our gift guides and ongoing writeups here at The Root. And as we celebrate our community and culture while abiding by each of the Seven Principles, you might be surprised to learn that there’s a new podcast on deck putting a…