The month of May has been taxing. It began with growing awareness about the deaths of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery and ended with a video of a police officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, killing him. The week following Floyd’s death has been tumultuous, with tensions rising and police violently trying to…Read more...

Music industry giants such as Warner Music, Sony, and Interscope Records, as well as artists and celebrities within the space, are joining together in solidarity with the black community in response to the death of George Floyd last week.

When a moment as significant as the George Floyd protests evolve into what has been dubbed the “Fed-Up-rising,” people are bound to have an opinion about it. On the flip side, those very opinions are open to critique, especially in an era where frustration, desperation, anger and sadness has bubbled under the surface…Read more...

It’s June 2020, and while I imagine this year looks nothing like anybody assumed it might—and as time keeps on slippin’ into the future—I hope that we somehow come out better on the other side of it than we started. That’s a very, very reserved optimism, by the way. Be that as it may, June in America is Black Music…Read more...

As the death of George Floyd continues to inspire both peaceful and not-so-peaceful protests all over the country, a Saturday demonstration in Omaha, Neb., resulted in the death of another black man after he was allegedly shot by a white bar owner.Read more...

Former NBA star J.R. Smith was one of many NBA players who peacefully protested this weekend in the name of George Floyd, but he had some explaining to do after footage surfaced of him engaging in a violent confrontation with another protester.Read more...

We get it: With everything going on in the world, it can be difficult to carve out time to discover new music. Industry-pushed tunes that you may not even bang with like that could also get in the way of you finding something that tingles your consumer taste buds.

An unidentified man was shot and killed by Louisville Metro Police and the National Guard on Monday morning, capping off a violent weekend in which police across the country had escalated demonstrations protesting police brutality by employing aggressive tactics against protesters.Read more...

There are some that talk the talk and there are others who walk the walk… literally, on the ground during a protest.Read more...

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Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, says President Trump barely gave him a chance to speak during a recent phone conversation about the killing of his brother by police in Minneapolis.Read more...

Some white people have been showing up for the ongoing protests against the George Floyd killing with thoughtfulness and in solidarity, including by putting their bodies in between cops and black protestors.

In the outcries following the now-countless incidents of police violence upon black America, what is often most deafening is the silence—from non-black friends, influencers, politicians and, perhaps most importantly, from those who have the kind of massive platforms that actually reach into American homes and sway…Read more...

Protest violence has surged in cities across America, fueled by the racist brutalization and attendant mental traumatization of black people in this country that has continued unabated even during a deadly pandemic.

Much of America is still in mourning and rage over the murder of George Floyd, and if you feel personally devastated, you are far from alone. Captured on video for the world to see police brutality in action, Floyd’s death under the knee of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been a visceral reminder…Read more...

The blaze of protests that spread across the country this weekend in response to the police killing of George Floyd and countless others throughout American history is being responded to by policing so brutal even Alanis Morissette could clock the irony.Read more...

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Without the proper context, it is impossible to understand the mushroom cloud of uprisings that are exploding across the country in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Breanna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless others.Read more...

The family of George Floyd has asked a former New York City chief medical examiner to conduct an independent autopsy on the deceased man, after a report from from local officials said there were “no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation” in Floyd’s death.

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who has been charged with third-degree murder in the death of George Floyd, also worked security at a local nightclub and was quick to use aggressive tactics including mace when working on African American nights, according to the establishment’s owner.

Protests triggered by the police killing of George Floyd, as well as long-simmering discontent at brutally racist and violent systems, surged in cities all across the U.S. on Friday night.Read more...

Life comes at you fast.

Black Music Month is on the horizon and iHeartMedia has quite the celebration planned, as expected.Read more...

As protests against the death of George Floyd and other victims of police violence raged across the country, bus drivers became unlikely heroes in the uprising by refusing to do the police’s work.

To say the initial investigation into Ahmaud Arbery’s death was handled poorly is an understatement. It took nearly two months after he was violently killed for the people responsible to be arrested and face charges. New information about how the case was initially handled provides some insight as to why.

Thanks, Caucasians!Read more...

Unrest—it’s a word I’ve read and heard used to describe the emotional state of protestors around the country right now. To the people who are sitting in their homes self-isolating with a sense of helplessness on how to support, I’d wager that word would fit in describing that situation, as well.Read more...

On Friday, as America was still reeling from the death of George Floyd, 49, at the hands Minneapolis police officers and the subsequent protests that have once again called for America to deal with its original sin, former President Barack Obama and his then-second-in-command former Vice President Joe Biden and…Read more...

As protests erupted around the country Thursday night in response to multiple, widespread, and longstanding allegations of police brutality, community activists in Tallahassee, Fla., have tried to press for more accountability from police officers after three officer-involved killings in just over two months.Read more...

The news about the state of the nation’s mental health was alarming even before the traumatic events of this past week—when news cycles and social media timelines were flooded with news about racists, deadly, and un-redressed assaults on black people.Read more...

This is the sobering half-wish offered on page 57 of Black Imagination, an amalgamation of black thought, poetry, rituals, inspiration, hope, and yes, imaginings of what healing might look like amid an inequitable existence. The project and resulting book—more aptly described by acclaimed author Kiese Laymon (Heavy)…Read more...

The roof! The roof! The roof is on fire! We don’t need no water; let that mother fucker burn!Read more...

The country has been reeling this week after graphic footage of George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minnesota police officers was released. After nationwide protests on Thursday night, one of the men responsible for Floyd’s death has finally been taken into custody.Read more...

To understand Amy Klobuchar, all you need to know is how she treats her staff. An aide once carried her bags and a salad onto a plane for a short flight. Once onboard, the aide realized the horrible mistake he made: somewhere between fumbling with the Minnesota senator’s luggage and her lunch, he’d somehow lost her…Read more...

I knew what I was getting into.

We live in a world where sports figures and professional athletes are more vocal about social issues than ever before, and in light of protests that have erupted throughout the country in response to George Floyd’s death at the hands of the Minneapolis police, many have channeled their outrage onto social media.

This week, month, and year have been exhausting for Black America. There’s always a battle raging somewhere against power structures that prey and pray for our downfall. Gathered here are a collection of staff-curated songs that embody the spirit of protest. #RIPGeorgeFloydRead more...

Thursday night, protests against police violence took place nationwide. Louisville, Ky., was the site of one such protest as people gathered in honor of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old EMT who was shot and killed after police entered her home. New information about the case was released during the evening shortly…Read more...

When audiences finished the Oscar-winning film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, there was one particular scene that stuck in everyone’s minds: the moment Miles Morales officially became Spider-Man. After many minutes of self-doubt, Miles finally took a leap of faith and we all realized he wasn’t falling, but…Read more...

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This is not a riot.Read more...

A CNN crew covering the ongoing protests in Minneapolis was arrested on Friday while they were providing a live report on television.Read more...

It was just over 18 months ago that we were marveling at the fact that legendary beauty Naomi Campbell, then 48, had just scored the first beauty campaign of her decades-long career for good friend François Nars’ eponymous line. On May 22, the still-stunning supermodel celebrated her 50th birthday, accompanied by…Read more...

Today, May 29, would have marked the 30th birthday of Erica Garner, who passed away over two years ago. Some speculated that her death was because of inadequate healthcare, while others attributed her death to the stress and burden of being a black woman trying to survive in America. The daughter of Eric Garner, the…Read more...

Tell your praying Grandma to lay out your Sanctified Self-Isolation outfit on the bed this weekend because now’s the time to bring your Sunday Best!Read more...

The president of white Minneapolis protesters who are only there hoping that someone breaks into a tobacco shop has done it again—and it only took a few days of protesting for it to happen.

Across America on Thursday night, thousands of people marched to their state capitols, their public squares, their police precincts. Across America, they shouted “I can’t breathe”—a dying plea turned rallying cry. Police took arms against demonstrators—dressing in riot gear, shooting at the citizens who employ them…Read more...

So you’ve experienced injustice and you want to change the system, bring awareness or just express your frustration about an unfair system you’re black and it’s Friday.Read more...