Back in February, you might’ve heard about an ashy-ass rapper named Boosie Badazz who said some goofy-ass shit about NBA great Dwyane Wade’s 13-year-old daughter, Zaya. It was disgusting, it was transphobic and you likely read all about it here at The Root.Read more...

A funny thing about My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy when compared to the other rap albums that exist in the space where “iconic album” and “album I happen to love” overlap is that I don’t remember where or when I first heard it. I could tell you where I was when I first heard Wu-Forever (in high school, on a stereo…Read more...

Temporary President Trump is on his fuckshit again.

If there was anyone who encompassed speaking truth to power without fear of consequences this year, it’s Star Wars actor John Boyega. The star has been increasingly vocal about the racist attacks he has faced as well as the systemic mistreatment of characters of color in major franchises following his successful yet…Read more...

If there’s one thing that I love, it’s a good-ass documentary—especially if it involves sports. And while 2020 has been a resounding clusterfuck otherwise, it’s been a spectacular year on the film front, as sports docs like Netflix’s Uppity, Quibi’s The Scheme, and Blackballed have not only raised the bar but have…Read more...

Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne “Gammy” Banfield-Jones have been known to feed the soul at their red table. For the holidays, it looks like the ladies are going to be feeding that belly, too!Read more...

President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. isn’t waiting on Trump to hand him the reins; in fact, he’s moving on with his top national security picks.

Quawan “Bobby” Charles, a Black 15-year-old boy who died under “suspicious” circumstances earlier this month, was honored with a funeral service on Saturday, as his family still searches for answers regarding his death.Read more...

Here’s a question I find myself asking on a near-daily basis: What the hell is wrong with white people?Read more...

Over the course of 13 months during 2006 and 2007, Tiffany Pollard was dumped on reality television dating shows three times. She took the first rejection on the chin, exchanging an upbeat goodbye with her new ex, Public Enemy star William “Flavor Flav” Drayton Jr., before driving off in a waiting limousine—where she…Read more...

Another weekend of NFL football is officially in the books. So what’d we learn?Read more...

“I’m just happy to be off the couch with some real fashion,” Taraji P. Henson crowed in the opening monologue of the 2020 American Music Awards on Sunday night. OK, so maybe we were still on the couch in our matching tie-dyed sweat sets (I know it’s not just me), but not wasting a minute of her on-stage opportunity,…Read more...

Nov. 29 marks the 26th anniversary of Mary J. Blige’s sophomore album, My Life. It’s an album filled with stories of trials and triumph, but most importantly it’s a breakthrough album that set the tone for both R&B and Blige’s career trajectory. Boasting fire-ass hits such as “Mary Jane,” “My Life,” “Be Happy,” and…Read more...

A Black man was fatally shot during an altercation with two police officers who were conducting a traffic stop in Omaha, Neb., Thursday night, causing protests to erupt in the city over the weekend.Read more...

Classic Box | $149 | ButcherBox

Imagine this: You are a lawyer and your potential client wants to file lawsuits against multiple states alleging imaginary crimes. Literally, crimes no one can see. There is no proof, no receipts, no video, Maury isn’t there, Tekashi 6ix9ine isn’t there—literally nothing to prove your potential client’s case.Read more...

Thanksgiving is near and Tyler Perry is continuing his charitable energy for this holiday season. In the past several months, Perry has been in the news for reportedly funding Rayshard Brooks’ (who was fatally shot by an Atlanta police officer) funeral and randomly paying for grocery shoppers’ bills across 73 stores…Read more...

Lip Glossary Kit | $10 | Ulta Beauty

The time has come for the world’s largest fan-voted award show and you’re now reading the world’s largest award show recap site! OK, I may have made up the latter part of the sentence, but thanks for joining me! As per usual, I’m here to give you the Black-ass play-by-play. This time, it’s the 2020 American Music…Read more...

Coronavirus has been making its way through the mess of people in Donald Trump’s orbit, infecting a host of White House staffers, Melania Trump, the president himself, and even one his sons, Donald Trump Jr.

Demonstrators took the streets across Brazil this weekend to protest the killing of João Alberto Silveira Freitas, a Black man and father of four, by security officers.

The sequel to the cultural phenomenon that was Marvel Studio’s Black Panther is set to start filming next year.

After a week of foolery in the process of certifying Michigan’s election results, which show the state going for decisively for President-elect Joe Biden over incumbent President Trump, Black Detroiters are fighting back against what they see as an attempt to disenfranchise them.Read more...

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. After officers from the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office in Graham, North Carolina deployed pepper spray on men, women, and children marching to the polls during early voting last month, the sheriff’s office now says it will be charging the organizer of the march with felony…Read more...

President-elect Joe Biden’s credentials in terms of supporting the Black Lives Matter movement haven’t been unimpeachable. His campaign for president was marked by him explaining away and apologizing for policies widely seen as contributing to racism and racist policing, among them his one-time opposition to…Read more...

I hope you’re having a better week than Rudy Giuliani, who seems to be slowly turning into Venom, but if you’re not...I have some trailers to tickle your fancy! Let’s get to it...Read more...

A Black man from Queens has been released from prison after being incarcerated for 25 years for a crime he didn’t commit.

The teenager charged with killing two unarmed Black Lives Matter protesters during a demonstration over the killing of unarmed Black men is free from a Wisconsin jail after posting bond on Friday.Read more...

The Louisville Metro Council approved an ordinance to place the Louisville Metro Police Department under the watch of an inspector general and civilian review board.Read more...

All good things come to an end, they say, and it looks like it’s Black Lightning’s turn to fade into the night.Read more...

OK, kids—we’re now officially five weeks out from Christmas—and only a week from Black Friday (or, as we’ll be calling it here at The Glow Up, the Blackest Friday). But the pre-deals are already out there and in full effect as TGU rolls out our Wrapping Roll Call—our running list of our favorite Black vendors to visit…Read more...

I am about to date myself with this one.Read more...

Trying to make this week’s list was a lot, y’all. As a result of the pandemic making it wildly irresponsible to gather in our yearly show of mass consumerism, most Black Friday deals have already gone live. I don’t have nearly the space to go through all the bangers on sale right now, so I’m going to get to the shits.Read more...

I hadn’t realized exactly how thoroughly I’d been influenced by the onslaught of anti-turkey propaganda until making a Thanksgiving shopping list with my wife this morning. (It is weird that we’re still planning to purchase and cook a sailor’s buffet of food despite the fact that no one will be in our house except for…Read more...

I kinda like hate mail.Read more...

There are really only two kinds of people in this world: Those of us who wear masks, practice social distancing and stay inside as much as possible, and assholes.

It isn’t like hot windbag and white hotep—he even wears bowties—Tucker Carlson to want proof before spouting out wild conspiracy theories in support of his president for life, Donald Trump.

Jason Reynolds famously didn’t read a novel cover-to-cover until he was nearly 18. At 36, he is one of the preeminent—and most prolific—young adult authors of this or any other generation, earning accolades and awards and carving a niche for both himself and an oft-overlooked demographic of would-be readers just like…Read more...

A Virginia high school is divided this week after a chemistry teacher was suspended for using a George Floyd pun for a student quiz, with students of color saying they felt unsafe as a result of the casual reference and white students complaining that the entire incident has been overblown.Read more...

We survived Gucci Mane Verzuz Jeezy, y’all. In fact, it looks like there were no actual casualties...other than our peace of mind. Sure, things turned out fine in the end, but the super tense lead-up? Yeah, I’m still recovering…Read more...

Y’all won.Read more...

It remains one of the most striking demonstrations from a year defined by protest: tens of thousands of people dressed in white t-shirts, wearing white face masks and white head wraps, from all backgrounds, all marching the streets in defense of Black trans lives.Read more...

Extra extra, read all about the extra sizzling hotness coming your way on Friday!Read more...

President Trump lost the election.

The year 2020 has been tragic for myriad reasons—and a terrifying one for the transgender and non-gender-conforming community, which has lost 37 lives to violence this year, the majority of which were Black and Latinx transgender women. It is a staggering statistic rightfully called “an epidemic of violence” by USA…Read more...

There are a few notable figures in Black Hollywood who we all attribute to the “No Sleep” gang—Beyoncé, Issa Rae, Ava DuVernay, Tiffany Haddish...just to name a few. These folks are always in the news announcing a huge project, leaving the rest of us to wonder—when the hell do they ever get any sleep?

Mac 12-Piece Frosted Lipstick Gift Set | $56 | Macy’s

Remember (RED)—or rather, Product (RED)—the philanthropic retail campaign co-founded by U2 frontman Bono that was wildly popular in the early aughts for its cleverly branded product lines? While its once-splashy profile may have become less so in the intervening years, the charity’s reach and impact have only…Read more...

Classy, bougie, ratchet (yeah). Sassy, moody, nasty. Megan Thee Stallion is a lot of things—as is her debut collection for Fashion Nova, which debuted on Wednesday. Ahead of the release, Meg boasted that the line would have “better representation” than most, specifically pointing out the size-inclusivity of her…Read more...

Throughout the year, the twin crises of the coronavirus pandemic and the recession it spurred have disproportionately hurt Black and Latinx communities across the country. A new study from the nonprofit Me Too has found that survivors of sexual violence in these communities have been particularly vulnerable to…Read more...