In the ending of “Copper Sun,” the second to last episode of Queen Sugar’s second season, the song “Fall Into My Arms” by Ngaiire plays as Ralph Angel stares at and walks into Blue’s room. Blue is his son; he’s largely raised him alone but with the help of his family, particularly Aunt Vi, but he recently found out at…

I don’t know about you, but where I lived in the mid-90s, there weren’t many places for a high schooler to get a job, or so I thought, anyway. Close to me was the world’s most perseverant Hardee’s of all time, McDonald’s, a Bruno’s and a Winn-Dixie, the last two both grocery stores.

On the list of things I’ve always wanted to be in life, placing “ninja” on LinkedIn is definitely high on the list. Of course, that desire ebbs and flows because who the hell ever thinks they’re going to be an actual, real-live ninja? But as it turns out, that shit is legit a real job.

In what I imagine will eventually be a very regretful decision on her part, Angela Rye—noted #BlackGirlMagic trumpeter, public speaker, CNN contributor and women’s empowerment scion—decided to jump out the window in defense of her “brother,” Charlamagne Tha God (CTG).

A few months back, we took to the streets of Los Angeles to talk about being Urban by Nature. We gathered a few hundred Angelenos for a night of discussion, drinks and networking.

Set It Off is a movie I love watching. It’s such a nonsensical movie for so many reasons that it all blends perfectly, if you let the liquor tell it. It’s one of the greatest mediocre movies in the African-American Cinematic Theater canon. Once you add in the soundtrack, it really is iconic for so many reasons. But in…

On July 12, 1991, Boyz n the Hood hit theaters nationwide after early screenings in Los Angeles and New York City. As a 12-year-old living in Germany at the time who saw it while visiting relatives in Five Points, Ala., that summer, the movie changed a lot for me. Apparently, I wasn’t alone.

Smug is a funny word. It’s a word whose definition does it no real justice. But what is the definition? Glad you asked. Smug is an adjective that means having or showing an excessive pride in oneself or one’s achievements. You know the type, the folks who are super duper self-satisfied and feel superior in most…

What a difference a year makes. Just a little over a year ago, Damon and I signed those final signatures to complete the process to transition into becoming part of The Root. Like most things in life, it’s important to reflect on milestone moments. By this point last year, Damon had begun working as a senior editor at…

Drake’s Scorpion album may be whatever the digital-media age equivalent of a coaster would be, but that doesn’t stop it from having some bangers. “God’s Plan” still goes hard in the paint as does “Nice For What.” And thanks to a new viral video dance challenge based on Drake’s song “In My Feelings,” I believe started…

Becoming a parent is a life-changing event. Nothing is the same after your child is born and I mean literally the moment they’re born. Everyday from that moment forward starts to look different and gradually separates it from even the life that existed the day before their birth.

There are no spoilers in this post.

1. Black Thought—possibly the greatest rapper of all time, in the back row in a white, cat-daddy ensemble, complete with white, cat-daddy hat—getting his entire life with a triangle.

(This article contains mild spoilers. Very mild.)

We all know that the cost of living in the San Francisco Bay Area is insane. According to a report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the median price for a single-family home in the Bay Area is $935,000. The median. Because of this high cost of living, a family earning $117,000 is considered…

If you’ve been to a black celebration of any sort, you have either done or watched other people do the Electric Slide. It’s a staple in the black community and each generation passes down the routine, ensuring its survival. Where there are black people, there are electric sliders.

I’m a black-movie connoisseur and African-American-movie advocate. If a black movie exists, I’m checking it out and I don’t care what country it comes from.

It’s almost the end of June, which means that in Washington, D.C., and, I assume, most other major metropolitan areas, fireworks, in preparation for July Fourth, have been going off for almost an entire month. It’s not uncommon to hear explosives being detonated at all times of day. Just yesterday, at roughly 5:25…

In no particular order:

On Saturday afternoon, I took my son to get a haircut at a pretty well-known barbershop in Washington, D.C., near Howard University. I had on my Germany away jersey because Germany was playing Sweden, and I love that jersey. Mexico won earlier in the day, making this a must-win for Germany for them to have a chance to…