Killmonger Was Wrong, and Y’all Know It
Editor’s note: This story contains spoilers for the film Black Panther.
Watch: Ever Wonder What Was in a Hotep Starter Kit?
The word “Hotep” has gained a lot of traction online in recent years. By definition, Hotep means peace—like a greeting. To have Damon Young of Very Smart Brothas tell it, Hotep is the Egyptian version of “What’s good?”
This Conversation With Erykah Badu Will Make You Wonder if She Dabbles in Hotepery
“I don’t care if the whole group says something; I’m going to be honest. I know I don’t have the most popular opinion sometimes,” Erykah Badu said during an interview with Vulture that left me wondering if years of breathing in incense fumes could cause brain damage, because these opinions of hers are problematic, to…
The Root’s Clapback Mailbag: The Last Hotep
If you enjoy our weekly roundup of emails, tweets, direct messages, comments and that one voicemail we did months ago, you probably won’t like this edition of the Clapback Mailbag. You might not even recognize it.
Never Go Full Hotep: Indiana Nurse Posts Racist Rant, Loses Job
An Indiana nurse was on some advanced-level Hotepery when she reportedly tweeted, “Every white woman raises a detriment to society when they raise a son. Someone with the HIGHEST propensity to be a terrorist, rapist, racist, killer, and domestic violence all star. Historically every son you had should be sacrificed to…
B.o.B.’s Apparent Belief That Slave Ships Never Existed May Be the Most Hotep Conspiracy Theory of All Time
Flat-earther B.o.B constantly proves my belief that a person can be a genius in one field and totally clueless in another. We previously reported that the talented rapper and singer was raising funds to build a satellite that will once and for all settle the debate about whether or not the planet is dinner-plate…
10 Easy Costumes for Black People Who Aren’t Really Into Halloween Like That but Still Want to Have Fun
Requirements: A “full beard with no mustache” mask. Patchouli-marinated dashiki over some joggers and Polo boots. A white blow-up doll (your date). Absolutely, positively, no lotion.
Why You're Trash-Ass Trash If You Use Negro Bed Wench As An Insult, Explained
What is a Negro Bed Wench?
I Will Literally Give Someone Actual Money To Attend Dr. Umar Johnson's Hotepalooza In Brooklyn And Report On It
You might remember geographically incorrect Africa medallion soaked in Thunderbird with sentience Dr. Umar Johnson from his prominent role in last year's Hotep Civil War. (And if you don't remember any of that, great! Congratulations! I'm jealous of your ability to erase that shit from your mind, and please forgive me…
Tyrese Very Obviously Needs A Hobby, So Let's Find Tyrese A Hobby!
Empty Stacey Adams shoebox lined with Baby Boy DVDs and back-ordered bigen with sentience Tyrese Gibson is very obviously bored. Because there's no other reason for a recently married man to hop on Instagram and offer his unsolicited hotepian insights on how the women he's not married to or even dating or sleeping…
Confession: I Went On 2.5 Dates With A Hotep And Lived To Tell The Tale
Before Facebook memes about women making a plate for their man and Dr. Umar Johnson took the interwebs by storm, I was quite uninitiated to the world of the Hotep. I knew guys like Shazza Zulu from A Different World existed but I never thought I was the kind of dame to have one stumble into my life. And I certainly…
You Called Out The Root, Umar Johnson, and You Played Yourself; Here’s Why
Umar Johnson, aka the Prince of Pan-Africanism, has said our name. In his last posting from a hotel room somewhere in the continental United States, a much more subdued and skullcap-less Johnson has apologized for his behavior and profanity-laced tirade to everyone but black media and, more specifically, The Root.
Dr. Umar Johnson And The Hotep Civil War, Explained
Ok, so I've seen you reference "Hoteps" before — with quizzes, video content, and even the way you conjugate certain verbs — but I don't think I've ever quite seen a clear definition or explanation on what makes a hotep a hotep. Would you mind providing one?
Stop Pitting Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween Against The Birth of a Nation
If one ever wants to know what the slower side of intelligentsia is thinking or, in this case, not really thinking, in 2016, you can often find the answer in a meme.
The Half-Woke CliffsNotes to Homophobia and Misogyny
I never used CliffsNotes.
Are We Misappropriating the Term ‘Hotep’?
“Hotep” has taken on new meaning as social media escalates the evolution of words. Language is fluid, and with cultural shifts, words can fall in and out of use or morph into new definitions. What was the term “social media” 20 years ago?
Black Movies That Aren't Nearly As Good (Or Even As Black) As We Pretend They Are
Every fall Hollywood releases the important films—that is, the movies they think will garner Oscar attention. There will be the obligatory biopics with actors embodying disability or overcoming adversity. There will the political films that uncover a scandal or tell stories centered in human misery. Then there will be…
The Politics of Being Woke
“Who polices the woke?” The question caught me off guard.
No, Big Boi, Maple Syrup Cannot Cure Cancer—and Yes, You Sound Like a Sexist
Atlien rapper Big Boi, one-half of seminal rap duo Outkast, took a bit of dragging on Twitter this weekend after he posted a meme on “baby mamas” that smacked of sexist gibberish.
