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Books

James Baldwin Matters

There's a reason why Ta-Nehesi Coates is often compared to James Baldwin, and there's a reason why Baldwin's work is so relevant in the age of Black Lives Matter.

Music

Hip-Hop: How We Got from a South Bronx Birthday Party to a Global Force

Even though it took time and intervention for hip-hop to expand beyond the South Bronx, that may have been for the better in the long run.

Music

Was the Blues Born on a Vaudeville Stage?

Black creative and economic self-determination within the music industry didn’t begin with Chance the Rapper, or Prince, or even Motown.

Books

You May Be Black or You May Be White But in Africa You're an American First

David Peterson del Mar explores a creation myth for a nation of black people still searching for personal and collective terra firma.

Music

On Wanting Sly Stone to Take Us Higher Yet Again

Sly Stone was one of the first audacious badasses of modern black pop music, a hero and then an anti-hero to millions.

Books

'Muslim Cool' Puts Its Faith in Hip-Hop, and Hip-Hop in Its Faith

Where Chance the Rapper injects spirituality into hip-hop, Muslim Cool injects hip-hop into spirituality.

Music

Culture and History for the Age of Trump

History doesn’t always tell us how to get it right. It sometimes warns us of the cost of getting it wrong. Art steeped in that history can remind us, if we’re paying attention.

Books

Harry Belafonte and the Art of Activism

Harry Belafonte's life and work looms large over this moment, when artists of color are exercising their activist voices.

Politics

The Long, Hot Summer of 2016: How We Got Over

Simone Manuel’s winning a gold medal in this particular Olympic swimming event in this particular summer gave the especially besieged among us a chance to take a break from the siege.

Music

Perhaps Prince Really Did Die 4 Us

On what would have been the groundbreaking musician's 58th birthday, a reflection on his final chord.

Music

Kanye and Mingus: Gifted, Complicated and Proud of It

Charles Mingus and Kanye West represent an extreme form of the complicated-and-proud-of-it black man, within a society that prefers its black men as uncomplicated and untroubling as possible.

Books

Defending Chicago's 'Defender'

It's possible to trace much of 20th Century America’s history through the pages of the Defender, a local paper with a national impact.

Music

For Jazz and Gospel Artists and Audiences, Music Is Their Faith, and Faith Is Their Rock

Black music's spiritual aspect may be a given, but two new books, A City Called Heaven and Spirits Rejoice! go deep into explaining how that actually happens.

Music

Afropunk Is Officially a Brand and That's a Good Thing

There is a large community of alt-black folks out there, and Afropunk has given them a big tent to party under.

Music

The Story of Billie Holiday's Life Shouldn't Overshadow the Power of Her Music

To say that Billie Holiday's songs remain memorable because we know she lived a hard life does her artistry a most insulting disservice.

Television

Wanna Buy Some Old Bill Cosby Records?

In the face of mounting allegations against the beloved comedian, we are left to reconsider his artistic legacy.

Books

I'm Rick James' Bio, Bitch!

The majority of Glow is a blow-by-blow account of the drugs he took and the women he bedded. James either had a great memory, or he took remarkable notes.

Music

Bring Back the Beat! What's Up with Hip-Hop Reissues?

The record industry makes huge efforts to reissue rock CDs, but nowhere near as much effort for hip-hop CDs.

Books

Carl Van Vechten, America's First White Negro

What was Van Vechten really writing about during the Harlem Renaissance; black culture as it existed in its own right, or how he viewed it through his own complicated prism?

Books

A New Book Calls for a More Activist Black Church -- But That Might Be Easier Said Than Done

The difference between churches of service and activism is seen by the degree to which they hold to the philosophies of black theology, a school of religious thought that emerged in the wake of the racial tumult of the ‘60s.

Television

Soul Train: The Hippest Nostalgia Trip in America

Soul Train was more than entertainment for black America. It was inspiration and validation. Questlove gives us another ride.

Television

The Once, Current and (Maybe) Future Arsenioooooooooo Hall!

Can a pioneering late-night talk show host catch lightning in a bottle 20 years later? Hmmm...

Music

How to Make Political Pop Without Trying

"Dancing in the Street" did not seek the kind of greatness ascribed to it -- it simply woke up one morning and found that greatness bestowed upon it.

Reviews

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Features

29 Black Music Documentaries for Black History Month 2020: #3 'The Weird World of Blowfly'

England's Postwar Paranoia Creeps in the Shadows of Three Film-Noirs

Perfect Harmony: An Interview with Legendary Vocal Group the Waters

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PM Picks

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Pop Ten

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 1: 100 - 81

The 25 Best Classic Progressive Rock Albums

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '90s - Part 1 (100 - 81)

Jackie Chan's 10 Best Films

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 5: 20 - 1

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 2: 80 - 61

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 3: 60 - 41

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 4: 40 - 21

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There's a reason why Ta-Nehesi Coates is often compared to James Baldwin, and there's a reason why Baldwin's work is so relevant in the age of Black Lives Matter.

Even though it took time and intervention for hip-hop to expand beyond the South Bronx, that may have been for the better in the long run.

Black creative and economic self-determination within the music industry didn’t begin with Chance the Rapper, or Prince, or even Motown.

David Peterson del Mar explores a creation myth for a nation of black people still searching for personal and collective terra firma.

Sly Stone was one of the first audacious badasses of modern black pop music, a hero and then an anti-hero to millions.

Where Chance the Rapper injects spirituality into hip-hop, Muslim Cool injects hip-hop into spirituality.

History doesn’t always tell us how to get it right. It sometimes warns us of the cost of getting it wrong. Art steeped in that history can remind us, if we’re paying attention.

Harry Belafonte's life and work looms large over this moment, when artists of color are exercising their activist voices.

Simone Manuel’s winning a gold medal in this particular Olympic swimming event in this particular summer gave the especially besieged among us a chance to take a break from the siege.

On what would have been the groundbreaking musician's 58th birthday, a reflection on his final chord.

Charles Mingus and Kanye West represent an extreme form of the complicated-and-proud-of-it black man, within a society that prefers its black men as uncomplicated and untroubling as possible.

It's possible to trace much of 20th Century America’s history through the pages of the Defender, a local paper with a national impact.

Black music's spiritual aspect may be a given, but two new books, A City Called Heaven and Spirits Rejoice! go deep into explaining how that actually happens.

There is a large community of alt-black folks out there, and Afropunk has given them a big tent to party under.

To say that Billie Holiday's songs remain memorable because we know she lived a hard life does her artistry a most insulting disservice.

Jeff Chang's cultural history tackles how race has played out across the last 50 years, and counting, of American culture.

In the face of mounting allegations against the beloved comedian, we are left to reconsider his artistic legacy.

The majority of Glow is a blow-by-blow account of the drugs he took and the women he bedded. James either had a great memory, or he took remarkable notes.

The record industry makes huge efforts to reissue rock CDs, but nowhere near as much effort for hip-hop CDs.

What was Van Vechten really writing about during the Harlem Renaissance; black culture as it existed in its own right, or how he viewed it through his own complicated prism?

The difference between churches of service and activism is seen by the degree to which they hold to the philosophies of black theology, a school of religious thought that emerged in the wake of the racial tumult of the ‘60s.

Soul Train was more than entertainment for black America. It was inspiration and validation. Questlove gives us another ride.

Can a pioneering late-night talk show host catch lightning in a bottle 20 years later? Hmmm...

"Dancing in the Street" did not seek the kind of greatness ascribed to it -- it simply woke up one morning and found that greatness bestowed upon it.