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Black Musician

Rapper YG, center in white, at a June 7 protest over the death of George Floyd.

Hip-hop is the soundtrack to Black Lives Matter protests

By Commentaries/Opinions

By Tyina Steptoe — The sound of Public Enemy’s 1989 song “Fight the Power” blared as face-masked protesters in Washington, D.C. broke into a spontaneous rendition of the electric slide dance near the White House. It was the morning of June 14, and an Instagram user captured the moment, commenting: “If Trump is in the White House this morning he’s being woken up by … a Public Enemy dance party.” View…

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The Apollo Theater

HBO’s The Apollo: ‘The story of how black America lifted itself through music’

By Editors' Choice

The director Roger Ross Williams on the Harlem ‘temple’ that has hosted legendary performers from James Brown to Lauryn Hill. By André Wheeler, The Guardian — The Apollo Theater is a living piece of black history. Located in the heart of Harlem on West 125th Street, the theater has operated as a refuge for black audiences and performers from its opening in 1934. Artists from James Brown and Aretha Franklin to Stevie Wonder and Lauryn Hill have graced…

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Maurice Mitchell

A Socialist Afro-Punk Rocker Challenges the Two-Party System

By Editors' Choice

By Nick Fouriezos, OZY — Maurice “Moe” Mitchell stalks the stage aggressively, barking lyrics in pointed contrast to his black T-shirt, which reads in bold white letters: “Don’t Shoot.” It’s August 2014, and the socially conscious punk rocker is grieving. Not just because this Afropunk Fest show is his band Cipher’s first in three years after the death of its drummer Danny Bobis, but also because, less than three weeks earlier, the…

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Houston rappers are putting their money in the only African American bank in Houston Unity Bank in third ward.

Nipsey, And Others, Dispel Thug Image of Black Males

By Commentaries/Opinions

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson, The Hutchinson Report — There are two stories that regularly make the rounds about men like Nipsey Hussle. The one story that should be routinely told, pointed to, and held up for all is the colossal refutation of the gangster and thug image much of the public holds of men such as Nipsey. Yet, this never gets more than passing mention. It took the massive media…

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