Netflix
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Watch: Roxanne Shanté Explains How She Created Hip-Hop Diss Records
Lolita Shanté Gooden, aka Roxanne Shanté, is a hip-hip icon, a living legend, if you will. Netflix has released Roxanne Roxanne, a biopic that chronicles Shanté’s humble beginnings in Queens, N.Y., in the ’80s. Shanté was a solidified rap staple from the Queensbridge Houses. She could rap circles around anybody and quickly became the go-to…
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Regina King Was Awesome in Seven Seconds; Seven Seconds Was Not As Awesome as Regina King
****SPOILER ALERT: THIS WRITE-UP WILL HAVE SPOILERS.**** Netflix’s original show Seven Seconds is the second television show that I watched purely because of the reactions on my social media timelines, with the first being This Is Us. I knew Regina King was in it and she’s a national treasure, but I had no idea what…
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The Obamas Are Coming to Netflix, so You Can Forget About That Rachel Trollz-Us-All Doc
If you were hungry for more Michelle Obama dance-athons with the babies (or just more Michelle in general), you’re in luck: The Obamas are reportedly in advanced negotiations with Netflix to produce a series of high-profile shows, the New York Times reports. The paper notes that the original programming would “provide [the former president] a…
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Watch: Mo’Nique Deserves Better
Oscar-winning actress and comedian Mo’Nique has been on an ongoing quest to get her coins right, and we’re here for it. As you’ve likely heard, the veteran comedian was offered $500,000 for a Netflix special, while Amy Schumer was offered $11 million, which she renegotiated into $13 million. Conversely, Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle were…
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Watch: Let the Battle Begin in Netflix’s Roxanne Shanté Biopic Roxanne, Roxanne
The year is 1984, and the ends of your fat laces are freshly tucked inside your suede Pumas. You’ve just finished asking your father to buy a large piece of linoleum flooring so that you can practice your backspins in the carpeted living room when you hear the sounds of a braggadocious 14-year-old girl destroying…
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One to Watch: Clare-Hope Ashitey Makes Her Mark in Netflix’s Seven Seconds
It is indisputably a season of #BlackExcellence, filled with superheroes, anti-heroes and black characters taking us to fantastic realms accessible only in the imagination or via the groundbreaking films Black Panther and the upcoming A Wrinkle in Time. But when we leave the theaters, here we are, in the real world. A world where there…
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She Is Not Her Hair: Why We Love the Many Styles of Michaela Coel
Michaela Coel first came to our attention through her award-winning and unapologetically irreverent Netflix series Chewing Gum. Even as the chronically awkward yet hilarious shopgirl Tracey Gordon, the gorgeous and multitalented Anglo-Ghanaian actress and screenwriter proved herself a skilled shape-shifter, making the character of Tracey as elastic as a rubber band as she tries to…
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Wanda Sykes Is the Sistah-Friend We All Need
Wanda Sykes’ recent tweet in support of fellow comedian Mo’Nique showed the power of black sisterhood in its full glory. When she brought receipts that showed that she, too, had been lowballed by Netflix to create a comedy special—and by less than half of Mo’Nique’s offer—err’body had to shut up and pay attention to the…
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Holding Out for a Shero: In Altered Carbon, Renée Elise Goldsberry Is a Superwoman for a New Age
Renée Elise Goldsberry isn’t afraid to have it all. As she speaks to The Glow Up from her suite at the Essex Hotel in New York City while getting “all glammed up,” she explains that her 8-year-old son is resting in a nearby suite. He’s out of school for the day because of a cough.…
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#GuestsDontPay Would Make Life Easier, but Nobody Would Celebrate Anything Ever Again (Unless They Were Rich)
The Washington Post recently published an article from writer Michelle Singletary titled, “Stop Charging Me to Attend Your Celebrations—#GuestsDontPay.” What’s the beef? Here’s the beef. From the article: I don’t mean any harm, but I am not paying to attend your parties anymore. I want to commemorate your life moments—your birthday, engagement, bridal shower, baby shower,…