The Root

Get ready to give your old workout gear the boot. PUMA and Baby Phat have teamed up to launch a line of clothing and footwear that is the perfect definition of street chic. The popular sportswear company and the iconic streetwear line from Kimora Lee Simmons are taking us back to the early 2000s when bra tops and…Read more...

Fresh off his well-received appearance in the Season 1 finale of Bel-Air, Marlon Wayans is ready to lead his own series again.

If you were around in 2000, you know how big of a hit 3LW’s “Playas Gon’ Play” was. The writers behind the song, Sean Hall and Nathan Butler, filed a copyright lawsuit against Taylor Swift in 2017 claiming the singer stole their lyrics for her 2014 single “Shake It Off.” A judge initially dismissed the suit in 2018…Read more...

While the world may be pining for Idris Elba to don the dapper suit of a famous fictional spy who shall not be named (you know the one), it seems his sights are set on the world of comic book superheroes and villains—more specifically, a “really big” forthcoming project for DC Comics.Read more...

Serena Williams is a transcendent athlete. Her reach and influence go far beyond tennis. Her retirement has sent shockwaves through the sports world, with many saluting her status as a groundbreaker and rightfully declaring her one of the greatest athletes of all time. You’ll notice I didn’t put a “women’s athlete”…Read more...

Super Bowl champion and former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch was arrested on Tuesday on the suspicion that he was driving under the influence in Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.Read more...

Cedric Dent, 47, was wrongfully convicted of a murder in 1997. After over 20 years in prison, a judge decided Monday to vacate his conviction and the district attorney’s office declined to prosecute the case because Dent was a victim of an unfair trial, according to the New York Daily News.

We’ve all come to rely on our smart phones and social media to keep us connected to the world. But, what happens when the technology we use everyday, gets weaponized against us in our most vulnerable and personal moments?Read more...

I’ve reached a fortunate age as a sports fan where I can remember the careers of the greats of multiple generations. I saw both LeBron and MJ in their primes (and unlike a lot of cats too young to remember the latter play, I have no use for a ‘who was better’ hot-take fest). I saw Barry Bonds play as a Pirate and a…Read more...

Updated Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2022 at 8 a.m.

A grand jury in Mississippi once again delayed, and therefore likely denied the family of Emmet Till justice for the final time by declining to charge the white woman whose original false claims about the Black teenager’s actions led to one of the most brutal lynchings in American history.Read more...

Growing up, the only thing that got me excited about going back to school after summer break was shopping. There’s nothing better than starting a new school year dripped in fresh swag – backpacks, lunch boxes and of course, new shoes.

Read more...

Police in Albuquerque say they’ve caught a man they called a “prime suspect” in the killing of a Muslim man in the city, who is potentially tied to the slayings of three others since last November.Read more...

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. launched an application process for people seeking a review of their convictions. Following the exoneration of Steven Lopez, the sixth teenager charged in the Central Park Five case, the DA’s Office made plans to free more people who suffered the same fate.Read more...

Despite influential Los Angeles rapper Nipsey Hussle being murdered more than 3 years ago, his legacy is still being honored and remembered in the area in which he grew up.

LL Cool J is not only a pioneer in hip hop but a cultural trendsetter that transformed style, music and how artists become brands. On Saturday (August 6), the rapper and actor received the key to the city of Queens which happens to be his hometown.Read more...

As the sports world still reels from Brittney Griner’s guilty verdict and nine-year prison sentence in a Russian court, one diplomat working on the case is a bit more positive about the situation.

Congratulations are in order for filmmaker Elegance Bratton, as it’s been revealed that his narrative feature debut, The Inspection, has been selected to close out this year’s 60th New York Film Festival.Read more...

Lamont Dozier, a record producer and songwriter who helped mold and create the sound of Motown in the 1960s, died at 81. His son, Lamont Dozier, Jr., shared the news on his Instagram on Tuesday morning. The cause of death has not been shared.Read more...

Recent polls showing Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) ahead in the Georgia Senate race are not the only current problem Herschel Walker is facing. The Republican Accountability PAC (RAPAC), a self-identified anti-Trump GOP group, has launched a $1 million ad campaign against the Georgia Republican Senate candidate, The…Read more...

The Inflation Reduction Act recently passed in the Senate aims to provide relief for American families dealing with higher rents, gas prices, and food. While inflation stays at a 40-year high, Black, Latino, and Native American families have been getting hit the hardest. A national poll conducted by NPR, the Robert…Read more...

It’s not easy being Black and single, especially in times like these when the price of everything from rent to gas to groceries is just too damn high. Now, a dating app for Black singles is doing its part to help keep love alive and support Black businesses in the process.

Today, tennis fans everywhere let out a collective gasp when the news broke that Serena Williams is hanging up her racket and “evolving away from tennis.” In an interview with Vogue (where she stuns on the cover in Balenciaga alongside her daughter, Olympia), the superstar says the decision to walk away from the game…Read more...

On the heels of the Pete Davidson/Kim Kardashian breakup comes the news that Davidson has allegedly been seeking trauma therapy to deal with online harassment from Kanye West.Read more...

The Evans Family planned a birthday party at a Kansas City waterpark Saturday. However, when they arrived the pool managers refused to let them inside and told them the party was canceled. According to Fox 2 Now, the family believes they were not allowed in the park because of racial discrimination.

With the 2022 Emmys just around the corner, we’ve just found out who’ll be taking on the role of host—and it’s none other than Saturday Night Live star and comedian Kenan Thompson.Read more...

We use the term G.O.A.T. a lot when talking about superstar athletes. In case you’re unfamiliar, it stands for Greatest of All Time. Very few actually live up to this description, but one person who exemplifies this standard is Serena Williams.

It’s been a long fall from grace ever since Fetty Wap was one of the most popular rappers out in the mid-2010s. The New Jersey rapper went from “baby won’t you come my way,” to sending threats to people over FaceTime.Read more...

The arrests of Jeffrey “Young Thug” Williams, Sergio “Gunna” Kitchens, and 26 others affiliated with the Young Stoner Life imprint (YSL) imprint have drawn some concerns from rap fans and first amendment advocates. The YSL collective was charged with a 56-count indictment which included conspiring together to obtain…Read more...

Three Maryland towns have agreed to pay $5 million to the family of 19-year-old Anton Black, who was died after being handled by police in 2018. According to The Associated Press, an addition to the settlement requires improvements to police training and policies. It seems police reform only comes after it’s too late…Read more...

As hard as it may be to imagine, the role of Rue on HBO’s popular drama Euphoria almost went to another actress and not Zendaya—or at least that’s the word on the street, according to the casting director in charge of the show.Read more...

On Monday, a Houston nurse was charged with six counts of murder and five counts of gross vehicular manslaughter for the fiery Los Angeles crash that killed six people, which included a pregnant woman along with her infant. The disturbing surveillance video of the crash has been widely circulated online.Read more...

On today’s episode of “The Slap,” Willow Smith has commented on her father’s Oscar-night actions and how it affects her and the family. Look, I know what you’re thinking, but this is our lives now. We will never be done talking about this.

While some in Hollywood may still be in shock, appalled and dismayed at the now infamous Will Smith/Chris Rock Oscars slap that took place earlier this year, that doesn’t mean everyone feels the same way. Chief among them, are folks like Dave Chappelle, who recently joked about the incident during a stop in Ohio for…Read more...

Read more...

Updated August 8, 2022 at 10:02 a.m.

Read more...

Updated as of 8/8/2022 at 4:00 p.m. ET

Remember when Kevin Durant turned the NBA off-season upside down and requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets? More than a month later, he still hasn’t been traded and Kyrie Irving is still on the team. Either teams don’t want Durant, or they don’t want to offer what it’ll cost to get him.Read more...

OWN’s critically acclaimed drama, Queen Sugar, is set to wrap up its seven season run when the final episodes premiere on Sept. 6 at 8/7c on OWN.

Prison, generally speaking, ain’t a place you want to be. Two of my uncles have done decades behind the wall in our home state of Pennsylvania; another retired a few years back from a career as a correctional officer in multiple penitentiaries here. I’ve written about my friend and high school classmate who did two…Read more...

After the mass shooting Uvalde, Texas, we all have been debating the best ways to keep children safe from gun violence. Common sense would think to pass more gun safety legislation to cut down the number of school shootings. The Asheville Citizen-Times reports that all six Madison County schools in North Carolina will…Read more...

Roger E. Mosley, who starred as Theodore “T.C.” Calvin in the classic CBS television series Magnum P.I., died early Sunday morning. Mosley was a Los Angeles native who lived in the Watts neighborhood. He also went to Jordan High School.Read more...

A video has circulated on the internet showing Nigerian immigrant Alika Ogorchukwu being attacked and strangled to death by an Italian man. On July 29, Ogorchukwu (who worked as a street vendor) allegedly asked the suspect Filippo Claudio Giuseppe Ferlazzo and the woman accompanying him for pocket change.Read more...

Abbott Elementary continues to pick up momentum as it heads toward a big Emmy night.Read more...

Would it really be a proper NBA off-season if two players weren’t beefing? But in this case, I can’t quite put my finger on what got both of these players so heated.

Another day, another Karen. A video has been circulating social media of a white woman calling the police to report a Black man for standing outside his house, according to The Seattle Times. Yes, just standing. The woman accused the man of being a burglar but insisted race had “nothing to do” with her choice to…Read more...

Multi-Grammy-nominated rapper Nicki Minaj is set to be honored at the 2022 MTV Video Music Award as it’s been announced she’ll be the recipient of the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.Read more...

Is there a serial killer targeting Muslims in Albuquerque?