culture
-
#OscarsNotSoWhite? Here’s a List of the Black Invitees to the Academy
Cheryl Boone Isaacs is one film industry leader who is taking the #OscarsSoWhite criticism to heart and instituting change. Back in January, Isaacs, president of the Oscar-granting Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, publicly announced the academy’s plan to double the number of women and members from diverse backgrounds by 2020. And on Wednesday, the…
-
First Phife Dawg and Then Prince; It's Time to Have a Frank Talk About Black Men's Health
I’m done with 2016. We’ve lost Phife Dawg and Prince—just to name two this year. Many of my musical heroes, whose sounds were the ambient noise of my childhood, are gone. We now live in a world where Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross and Prince are dead. No matter how hard I try, I seem unable…
-
#ReesesRoadToRio: Meet Olympic Gold Medalist Long Jumper Brittney Reese
All eyes will be on Rio de Janeiro this summer as some of the world’s best athletes compete for Olympic gold. But our eyes will be on one specific long jumper as we chronicle her road to Rio. Brittney Reese is a history-making track-and-field star. She is the only long jumper (man or woman) to…
-
Beloved, Fix My Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta
While there is no confirmation about reports that the entire cast of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta has been fired, I do know that after the latest season of the hit reality series, something’s gotta give. For years now, LHHATL has been my favorite Negro telenovela, but I’m not enjoying it as much as I…
-
Why Jeremih’s Song ‘Oui’ Bothers the Hell Out of Me
I’m not a fan of Jeremih. I’m also not not a fan of Jeremih. In fact, Jeremih exists in a space where I typically forget he exists until one of his songs pops up on a Sirius station I listen to and I read the info and I’m like, “Wow, he’s still around, eh? Well,…
-
Do You Really Have to Keep Inviting a Friend to Parties When the Friend Always Says No?
Every day across this land (and presumably across lands across the world), butt-hurt friends and associates get into their feelings about an alleged slight. You’ve been there. I’ve been there. We all scream for ice cream. You’re doing what we all do during the course of the day, skimming your Facebook timeline or perusing Instagram…
-
12 of the Best and Brightest Black YouTubers at VidCon 2016
VidCon is the mecca of all things digital video. It’s literally what it sounds like: a conference for video. It took place in sunny Anaheim, Calif.—yes, home of Disneyland—and it was obvious that Mickey Mouse had to move over and make way for a whole new kind of celebrity: internet stars. The best and the…