The Root

When J. Cole released his latest musical offering, The Off-Season, on May 14, 2021, I knew I wasn’t going to love it. And as most self-fulfilling prophecies work, I didn’t. I maintained my similar stance of being bored with most of Cole’s music. But like any curiously dapper chap in the roaring 2020's, I do realize…Read more...

By now, you’re all aware of the internet smoke wars revolving around former NBA player Kwame Brown, but here’s a quick recap anyway.Read more...

President Barack Obama is a lot of things.

BET is back—you in the hood now, baby!Read more...

Last November, The Root reported that a lawsuit was filed against the city of Fort Worth, Texas, and ex-police officer Aaron Dean, who fatally shot Atatiana Jefferson on Oct. 12, 2019, while she was watching her 8-year-old nephew at her mother’s house and after a neighbor called a non-emergency police line to report…Read more...

Rachel Lindsay, the first Black Bachelorette, has been consistently outspoken about the lack of diversity within the Bachelor franchise.

For four years, the president of the United States prioritized the WWE of media and the rest of the world had to watch as Republican Only Fans, aka Fox News, was given exclusive access to the most powerful man in the world.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a legend in many ways. Not only is he fully cemented in the conversations of iconic athletes, but his ongoing social justice advocacy will also speak to his legacy for years to come.

Fashion lovers and the Hive alike hit nirvana in 2018, as Tyler Mitchell became the first Black photographer to shoot a cover of American Vogue, immortalizing the already iconic Beyoncé in a series of portraits which marked the next evolution of the homespun elegance she’d evoked in 2016's Lemonade. One of his…Read more...

To say Ta-Nehisi Coates went off on the Black Panther comics for the last five years would be an understatement. In his time with the character, Coates crafted a loving, thoughtful, and consistently exhilarating addition to the Black Panther mythos. When it was announced his run would be wrapping up this year, the…Read more...

America’s favorite Awkward Black Girl and creative multi-hyphenate Issa Rae is such a breath of fresh air.

Details regarding the 2019 death of Ronald Greene after an altercation with Louisiana state troopers have been shrouded in mystery, with Greene’s family accusing the State Police of attempting a cover up. Police officials initially said that Greene died on impact after his car crashed into a tree. Recently released…Read more...

If you’ve been concerned about the violent images and videos coming out of the Gaza Strip and the East Jerusalem neighborhood Sheikh Jarrah but don’t fully grasp why it’s happening, or if you’re wondering why Black Lives Matter recently came out in solidarity with the Palestinian people, please join the Dream…Read more...

In today’s episode of Don’t Let Your White Fragility Get Yo’ Ass in Trouble, a North Carolina judge will find himself on the other side of the gavel next month, as he received a summons Friday to appear in criminal court after he was accused of nearly hitting Black Lives Matter protesters with his SUV in downtown…Read more...

There’s nothing more I love than some mess. If the Hood Olympics were real, my sport would definitely be instigating. So you can imagine that I, along with the rest of The Root, have been enjoying the ongoing saga between former NBA players Kwame Brown, Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. The saga escalated on Wednesday…Read more...

The global pandemic era has brought us...a lot, just to sum it up in so many words. For actors and other creators, it seems like the period of isolation has allowed them to become more creative without having to depend on fancy sets or even co-stars. The one-person show was back in full-swing.Read more...

Do you believe that slavery was bad and that Black people should have equal rights? No? Great! How would you like to become a congressional candidate for the GOP? That seems to be the only bar you have to clear to become a politician in the Republican party. Remember that guy who was waving an AR-15 at Black Lives…Read more...

Stacey Abrams, who was last seen protecting our democracy from Trump’s acolytes, getting nominated for Nobel Peace Prizes, and publishing best-selling novels, might have a lot on her plate, but she still has plenty of time to chin-check Republicans and make history in the process.

You know how I know the Republican war on Critical Race Theory is all about protecting white fragility and not about teaching history in a way that is accurate, responsible and non-divisive? If that was really the concern of these GOPropagandists, they would have the same energy for all of these “educators” that think…Read more...

It’s no secret that there is a disparity between the Black and white experiences in America. While the protests of 2020 were supported by a large number of white individuals, there is still constant pressure on Black people to educate the rest of the world on the struggles and obstacles we face daily. While that…Read more...

Remember when Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts) said, “Surprise, bitch. I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me” on American Horror Story: Coven? That’s Kenya Barris. Specifically, that’s his -Ish franchise. You know the old phrase, “how now, brown cow?” Well, Kenya has been milking his own cows (aka his -Ish…Read more...

A$AP Mob founding member and “Fashion Killa” rapper A$AP Rocky is giving us a bit more insight into his relationship with our favorite Barbadian “bad gal” and all-around icon Rihanna.

I know it’s painful to look back at 2019, but let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we?

“The Captain” is back.Read more...

Two things I hate about America: all of the fake conservative Christian bullshit and the inability to own up to its past mistakes.

Michaela Coel, the creative genius behind hit shows such as Chewing Gum and I May Destroy You, will be teaming up with BBC to bring an all-new series to the broadcaster.Read more...

If you were in the mood for competitive basketball, the first night of the NBA’s play-in tournament didn’t exactly satiate your appetite. But if you wanted to see a young player show up on the biggest stage and solidify his status as a premier performer and NBA superstar, then Jason Tatum granted your wish.Read more...

When this week started, I didn’t expect for Kwame Brown to basically become my favorite person ever—a 7-foot reincarnation of every role Clifton Powell has ever played in a movie. But here we are. And why are we here? Well, basically Kwame Brown has fucking had it.

The death of 16-year-old Mikayla Miller has officially been ruled a suicide. Mikayla’s body was found by a jogger in the woods near her home in Hopkinton, Mass., on April 18. The day before she was found, her mother reported to police that she had been jumped by five other teens, which raised questions as to whether…Read more...

Paul Mooney was never afraid to speak his mind, no matter who was around. The self-proclaimed “Godfather of Comedy” worked alongside some of the industry’s most heralded stars, from Richard Pryor to Eddie Murphy, inspiring the comics who came after him to do the same. As Robert Townsend once said: “Paul didn’t care to…Read more...

After 14 years, Billy Porter wants to share something with the world in order to remove the stigma.Read more...

There are a few things in life that you don’t play with: Taco Bell when you have a long bus ride; the car radio when your father is driving; and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Do you feel an unshakeable urge to put hot sauce on your watermelon? When reminded of the great Cash Money Records takeover of nine-nine and the two thousands, can you resist backing dat azz up? Have you ever wished a motherfucker would?Read more...

A federal civil rights trial in North Carolina ended with a jury awarding two Black, mentally challenged half-brothers $75 million on Friday. Both men were found wrongfully convicted after spending three decades in prison over the 1983 rape and murder of an 11-year-old girl.

If you bring me anything from Chick-fil-A—which I sometimes call Chick-Fila—and you don’t bring me the Chick-fil-A honey mustard sauce, I will ask that you stand back a bit so you can watch as I slam the bag to the ground and stomp the living shit out of it.

The audacity and unmitigated gall of racist “purists” of a TV show or film that attack Black cast members because they don’t look like the fictional character they envisioned in their lily white minds...is something I wish wasn’t in real-life syndication... but, unfortunately, it is. It’s the circle of strife.Read more...

A recently released report by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security says that racially motivated extremists (read: white supremacists) are one of the biggest threats to domestic safety.

The North Carolina district attorney investigating a police shooting cleared the sheriff’s deputies who shot and killed an unarmed Black man because, apparently, North Carolina law allows police officers to kill people based on the cops’ imagination.Read more...

It’s been nearly four weeks since the public memorial service was held for beloved rapper and forever Ruff Ryder DMX. Now, his ex-wife Tashera Simmons is finally speaking out and giving some bittersweet insight into how things have been for her and her family.

As the trial of Derek Chauvin was winding down, the cycle of grief and outrage began once more after Daunte Wright was shot and killed in Brooklyn Center by former Minnesota police officer Kim Porter last month. A judge ruled on Monday that Porter will stand trial after finding there was probable cause to charge the…Read more...

As Spotify continues to evolve, the streaming media giant is ensuring that Black creators will remain at the forefront.Read more...

Tracee Ellis Ross has got it goin’ on. The award-winning actress, CEO and all-around cultural icon is unapologetically Black, sparks radical joy within the madness, and puts it out there for anyone who wants to enjoy her infectious energy. Though Black-ish and Mixed-ish are coming to an end, there will be no shortage…Read more...

To be young, gifted and Black is a decades-long mantra, thanks in large part to the legacies of Lorraine, Nina and Aretha. To be gifted, Black and a woman is a different legacy, earned at an intersection often filled with contradictions, microaggressions and challenges to your very legitimate and hard-earned wins; a…Read more...

You were rooting for us! You were all rooting for us! And...it paid off!

On Monday, fans of Attack The Block got the news of a lifetime when word got out that a sequel to the 2011 cult classic film would be making its way to the big screen.Read more...

Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has trouble sitting down with Donald Trump’s hand so far up his…

I’ve always wondered what it must feel like to be Kwame Brown.

As Angela Bassett tells it, her mother, Betty Jane Bassett, was “grand in her carriage.”Read more...

On Monday, we celebrated the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, a day launched to confront the biases, fear and outright hatred that threaten LGBTQIA+ lives and civil (and human) rights. While at The Root, we believe equality should just be common sense, we also know the part that…Read more...

There are two things I don’t play about: crab legs and the mistreatment of Black women. So when a Black woman comes forward with serious allegations about an unsafe work environment, I’m all ears. Because unlike a lot of folks when it comes to their favorite celebrities and public figures, accountability is kind of a…Read more...