Why the Black Internet Believes Grammys Just Threw Shade at Beyoncé
Proof The ‘Absent Black Father’ Was a Big Lie
Jay-Z’s Daughter Rumi Carter Throws Up the Roc Nation Sign On Stage, Sparking Insane Illuminati Theories
Black Musicians Who Were Targeted By The FBI and Other Law Enforcement
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10 Years of Black TV Ends at the CW
If you haven’t heard the news already CW’s The Game was not picked up for another season. The network made the official announcement yesterday and every cyber forum within Wi-Fi shot is expressing rage and love. I reached out to my former boss and The Game creator, Mara Brock Akil, for an official statement. She…
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The Missing Voices of Torture
‘Round and ’round and ’round we go with this torture thing, shouting and squawking in a decidedly partisan squabble, quarrelling over waterboarding and whether we should release certain damning pictures, arguing about whether we’re safer now or less safe now and who knew what/when/where. Fingers point and poke, and we talk on and on and…
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Kobe’s Beautiful Game
I’ve never been a Kobe Bryant fan. Maybe it’s because I’m still getting over the Lakers 4-1 deafening defeat of my mainstay, the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2001 NBA finals. Maybe I just don’t like his particular blue-chip swagger. Of his generation of athletes, I have always appreciated Serena Williams’ extroverted braininess, Donovan McNabb’s self-composure,…
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The Art of Politics Noir
Graphic storytellers spend their days mired in a world of fantasy and intrigue, where heroes and villains are rendered in black and white. In his book, How to Draw Noir Comics, illustrator Shawn Martinbrough broke down the basic artistic elements used to create these shady characters. So when The Root asked graphic novelist Joseph Phillip…
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Spam: What's For Dinner
I understand that some of us have since moved on to the finer things in life like free KFC grilled chicken and such, but who else grew up having to eat Spam when times got a little rough? I can’t be the only with a mom who fried up the spam in a pan and…
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Black Hipster = Urban Dandy
I was digging on Dayo’s joint yesterday, but we all know that the black hipster/dandy is nothing particularly new, right? They’ve been around a long time. While we can argue if it’s “dandyism” in the strictest sense, Prince was kind of the king of 80’s-era dandys: straight men who embraced androgyny and other kinds of…
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Obama's America: Is there too much Black?
I know Black is the new American pastime [more or less]. It’s also the new conversation, appetite, latest play, movie star, attitude and overall new American template for successful consumerism. However, I’m wondering if it’s overload. Let me be more honest: I wonder if I’m feeling overloaded with Black. Yes, I should be jumping up…
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Comedian Jay Mohr Takes Michelle Obama's Name in Vain!
Jay Mohr Goes in on FLOTUS; Buzz Sees a ‘Missing Person’ Headline in his Future Comedian Jay Mohr of ‘being that guy whose name you don’t remember but who you totally recognize’ fame decided to give Madame Obama an ethering on the Jim Rome radio show, noting, among other things, FLOTUS’ stature and eyebrow game.…
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The Return of Leela James
Leela James’ last recording, Let’s Do it Again, begins with a rendition of Betty Wright’s “Clean Up Woman” and closes with the title track, a remake of The Staple Singers’ classic. Betty Wright and Mavis Staples are defining examples of a generation of black women singers whose sass and soulfulness stood out as one of…
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A New Way to See Old Congo
At the turn of the 20th century, a visitor to the Congo might witness all kinds of horrors: Chained prisoners, executions (real and staged), long lines of porters, soldiers “pacifying” villages, ivory traders, rubber collectors, concubines and missionary sermons. At the time, it was considered nothing to be ashamed of. Just another day in the…