black music
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The Pop Up: Sol Development’s ‘Helicopter’ Is a Haunting Tale of Police Brutality in America
The Root is celebrating Black Music Month with stories that dig into the soul of black artistry and with The Pop Up, our new video series featuring in-office performances from black artists we adore. Sol Development are our first performing artists for The Pop Up, and they do not disappoint. The hip-hop/jazz/soul ensemble, based out…
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The Glow Up Anthem of the Week: Tierra Whack Invites Us Into Her ‘Whack World’
Any video that starts with elaborate nail art is likely a good fit for The Glow Up, so we have to thank commenter “Monkeypox0104” for suggesting this week’s Anthem of the Week, Tierra Whack’s 15-minute audiovisual medley “Whack World.” Born from the rapper-singer’s series of one-minute Instagram shorts directed by Thibaut Duverneix and Mathieu Léger,…
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Spell It Out: Rico Nasty Debuts a New Mixtape With ‘Nasty’ Edges
Rico Nasty announced that she’s releasing her new project, Nasty, on the ’gram. The mixtape is set to release June 15, and when fans saw the cover, they were shook. Rico, whose style is ever changing, was rocking nasty edges—literally. Her edges spelled out “Nasty”; check it: Aside from saying it with her edges—which was…
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Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz on Cover of Cultured Magazine as a Black Panther Power Couple
Alicia Keys-Dean and her producer hubby Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean look like a true power couple on the cover of Cultured Magazine. Black Power, that is. The cover is a re-creation of a 1970 photograph of Black Panther leader Eldridge Cleaver and then-wife Kathleen Neal Cleaver taken by photographer Gordon Parks. The accompanying spread is…
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Is Black Music the Well Many Other Artists Drink From and Profit From More Than Black Artists?
What is black music? For many, it’s soul, funk, R&B, hip-hop and essentially all genres of music that reflect roots in blackness. But the industry doesn’t hear us. Music is very much a culture of “We make it, they take it.” We’ve seen it throughout history in the theft of everything we exclusively create within…
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What a (Wo)Man! The 2018 Billboard Awards Were Dedicated to the Ladies
“Hey, ladies—all the ladies—louder now, help me out. Come on, all the ladies … ” So sang rap royalty Salt-N-Pepa when they took over the stage at the Billboard Awards Sunday night to sing several of their most memorable hits. Dressed in an updated riff on their ’90s finest, their performance culminated in a reunion…
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The Glow Up Anthem of the Week: Ivy Sole’s ‘Life’
Life is short, life is simpleLife is joy, life is painLife is wonderful, and terribleBut it’s beautiful, and love’s the same This week has been a special one at The Root, as several members of our staff—myself included—have revealed our very personal struggles with mental health in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. In keeping…
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The Glow Up Anthem of the Week: Prince’s ‘I Wish U Heaven’
You didn’t think we forgot, did you? Admittedly, it’s been a busy week here at The Glow Up, with the GLAAD Awards, a lingerie line from Rihanna and the questionable Catholic imagination of the Met Gala (oh my!). Frankly, we’re ready to slow it down for the weekend, so we thought we’d start by going…
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Azealia Banks Hates Bath Bombs but Clearly Loves Glitter Bombs, and We Have Questions
Just when we thought Kanye West was going to cause the most confusion this week, Azealia Banks popped up to give us another dose of her special brand of “Huh?” with an “Over/Under” video for Pitchfork as part of the promotional rounds for her new single and bona fide bop, “Anna Wintour.” Banks, who, like…
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Janelle Monáe Says Dirty Computer Is a Soundtrack for Carefree Black Women Who Are ‘Beautiful as Fuck’
I woke up this morning to headlines of Janelle Monáe coming out as a “queer black woman.” Sure, this is something many of us speculated about and indulged over once we peeped the visuals for her new album, Dirty Computer, but to have the CEO, record label owner, CoverGirl, artist and actual black girl magician…