culture
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Twitter Bashes Nicki Minaj for Malcolm X Cover Art
Rapper Nicki Minaj is apologizing for using a popular photo of civil rights icon Malcolm X and captioning it with a racial slur for her new song’s cover art, the Associated Press reports. On Wednesday the eccentric artist posted the photo to her website and Instagram and was quickly slammed across social media for using…
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How Nicki Minaj Photoshopped Malcolm X’s Legacy
Nicki Minaj’s just-released single “Lookin Ass Niggas” is a grandiloquent takedown of black men who have failed to live up to her personal standards of manhood—defined in terms of drug using and dealing, sexual prowess, employment (or lack thereof), wealth and other measures of material status. The lyrics alone raise important questions about the values…
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The Root Recognizes: Shark Tank’s Daymond John
Editor’s note: The Root Recognizes is a new ongoing series that highlights the newsmakers, innovators and up-and-comers you should know. When wide-eyed business owners walk down the corridor of the hit TV show Shark Tank, there is only one investor they will stand before who created a $6 billion enterprise that gave birth to a new wave…
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Tyson Beckford’s Nephew Allegedly Stole Truck Before Causing Deadly Crash
The man responsible for a deadly early-morning crash on Wednesday that killed a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus driver in New York City is said to be the nephew of model Tyson Beckford, the New York Post reports. According to reports, 23-year-old Dominic Whilby was drinking at a Fashion Week party with his uncle hours before…
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‘I Love Howard’ Campaign: A Fundraising Valentine From Alumni
At a time when many historically black colleges and universities are facing economic challenges, thanks in large part to slashed federal appropriations and decreased availability of financial aid, Howard University alumni have chosen Valentine’s Day to launch a fundraising initiative that rejects the panic about scarcity and the alumni-giving guilt trips that have accompanied recent…
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Rihanna: Accountant Left Me Bankrupt
In 2009 singer Rihanna was down to her last $2 million thanks to bad business advice from financial advisers, causing the singer to file suit against New York-based firm Burden LLC for mishandling her money. Rihanna is worth $40 million today, but in 2009 she was effectively bankrupt and didn’t know. In recently filed paperwork,…
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Brooklyn District Attorney Vows to Decriminalize Marijuana
Ken Thompson, Brooklyn’s new district attorney, is making some drastic changes. While he doesn’t have the authority to legalize marijuana in his New York City borough, he can decide who is charged, and Thompson has vowed not to prosecute low-level marijuana offenses. According to the Huffington Post, Ken Thompson said during his inaugural address last…
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Is There Room for Intellectuals in the Black Church?
Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal is joined by the Rev. Raphael Warnock to talk about the state of the black church and his new book, The Divided Mind of the Black Church: Theology, Piety, and Public Witness. The Rev. Warnock is the senior pastor at Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church.
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Stars of About Last Night Offer Relationship Advice
In the new romantic comedy About Last Night, Kevin Hart and Regina Hall’s explosive chemistry is pure date-night movie magic. The film is a contemporary take on the 1986 version with Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. Starring Michael Ealy as Danny, originally played by Lowe; Joy Bryant as Moore’s Debbie; Kevin Hart as Bernie, originally played…
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How Bobsledding Became a Black Winter Sport
Willie Davenport was born in central Alabama and was a college track standout in Baton Rouge, La. He qualified for four consecutive U.S. Olympic track teams as a hurdler, winning the gold medal at 110 meters in Mexico City in 1968 and a bronze eight years later in Montreal, and, in 1982, was inducted into…