culture

Jeremy Meeks appears to be no angel. His mugshot went viral after it was posted on the Stockton, Calif., Police Department’s Facebook page when he was arrested in June on five weapons charges and one gang charge. Apparently he’s no doll, either. The 30-year-old, known as the “hot convict” among other descriptors for “fine,” reportedly…

A searing new report revisits an age-old concern about the portrayal of women, especially blacks, in music videos, which are engulfed in overtones of racism and sexism, researchers say, according to the International Business Times. The depiction of women in music videos “creates a ‘conducive context’ for violence against women and girls,” the IBT writes…

Every so often in hip-hop, we’re introduced to a new kid on the block who happens to be white; this new face gets loads of media mentions and a group of the genre’s fans wild out on the blogs—they usually call themselves “true hip-hop heads.” The latest to get the wrath is Iggy Azalea. Before…

Danielle Hawkins is a 19-year-old student at the Savannah College of Art and Design. When she isn’t working on her sketches, she can be found reading about black feminism or scrolling through Tumblr. That’s where she first came across the hashtag #carefreeblackgirls. Before long, she’d launched her own blog with the same name. Although there’s no…

With music being downloaded, streamed, watched on YouTube or at a music festival, spun at the club and played on vinyl, the millennial generation has come of age at a time when there are more ways than ever to experience the soundtrack of their lives. And a budding group of innovative, young black artists are…

My name is Warren, and I am a 15-year-old entrepreneur. Ever since I was small, I’ve had a passion for the world of business, and when I was 8 years old I started a greeting card company. After that, I embarked on several other business ventures. To date, my businesses in sectors that include media,…

One of the Tulsa, Okla., cops charged in the slaying of their daughter’s black boyfriend was released Thursday night from the county jail, NBC News reports. Gina Kepler, 48, was granted a $25,000 bail on her charge of being an accessory to murder and was released, although she has to report to court on Tuesday,…

We’ve selected 30 of the world’s most influential and youngest viral voices—from journalists, bloggers and Vine makers to YouTube superstars, social activists and budding brand owners. Meet the minds who are defining a social generation. If you don’t already know who they are, you’re missing out. WRITERS These millennials are penning must-read pieces spreading through…

“I did feel like he was being denied the dignity of death.” That’s what Julion Evans’ mom, Julie Atwood, thought of the refusal by New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Tampa, Fla., to conduct her son’s service after finding out that he was a gay man, according to WFLA. Atwood was given the news the…

Black women aren’t faring well, healthwise, in the state of Wisconsin. According to the journal Health Affairs, the life-expectancy gap between black and white women in the state widened by more than 1.5 years between 1990 and 2009. There was also a small uptick for black men, reports WUWM Milwaukee Public Radio. Geoffrey Swain, medical director…