The once-upon-a-time defense of the poetics of rap has been ceded to the millennial mind of Genius.com, taking every syllable as ripe for mundane exegesis. By Lauren Michele Jackson, The…
By Dr. Maulana Karenga — In this month of remembering, reading and raising up the work and life of August Wilson (April 27, 1945-October 2, 2005), arguably the most successful…
The world-spanning art of the Harlem Renaissance. By Rachel Hunter Himes, The Nation — In January 1969, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened an exhibition dedicated to the vibrant history…
Following the federal raids on the residences of rap mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in Miami and New York, the hip-hop community remains shocked by the barrage of disturbing revelations surrounding…
‘King Richard’ helmer Reinaldo Marcus Green chronicles Marley’s rise to fame and his attempts to bring peace through his music. By Lovia Gyarkye, Hollywood Reporter — During a 1979 interview with Bob Marley,…
After last year’s “Hip-Hop 50” celebrations omitted much of the genre’s activist history, some lifelong fans say rap no longer feels revolutionary. By Timmhotep Aku, Andre Gee, Rolling Stone —…
She was a trailblazer for female rap artists, but that was only the beginning of a career that has encompassed movies, TV, singing, fashion, and business. By Ronku Idowi Reeves,…
A message from Don Rojas, General Manager of the Black World Media Network and Dr. Ron Daniels, President of Institute of the Black World 21st Century
All along the way, his eye is trained on moments of calm, locating an inherent grace, style, and sublime beauty in the Black everyday. By Jordan Coley, The New Yorker…
The Zanzibar-born novelist is known for his postcolonial works, examining refugee life in England and the effects of empire. He is the first Black person awarded the prize since Toni…
By Dr. Julianne Malveaux — One of the first Broadway plays I ever saw was Melvin Van Peeble’s Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death. A. Robert Phillips, who led the Black…