Culture
How Hip-Hop Became America’s Poetry. By John McWhorter / NYT
BET Remains White-Owned As Black Bidders Fall Short Of Asking Price. By Zack Linly / Newsone
How ‘They Cloned Tyrone’ transforms racial archetypes into unlikely heroes. By Uwa Ede-Oslfo / NBC News
Clarence Avant, Godfather of Black music, has died at 92. By Anastasia Tsioulcas / NPR
Why are Black rappers aligning themselves with the right? By Tayo Bero / The Guardian
A dancer’s killing — over voguing — highlights the dangers Black LGBTQ Americans face. By Rachel Treisman / NPR
The Root’s Essential James Baldwin 99th Birthday Reading List. By Angela Johnson / The Root
Remembering the Rappers We Lost. By Danyel Smith / NYT
‘Roots’: How the miniseries changed television and American culture. By Sabrina Clay / CNN
Tony Bennett saw racism and horror in World War II. It changed him. By Dave Kindy / Wash Post
Black Music Sunday: 1967’s long, hot summer of rebellion. By Denise Oliver Velez / Daily Kos
The Diversity Of Barbie: Black Barbie Dolls To Buy Amid Hysteria Over New Movie. By Tatayana Yomary / Newsone
How Do You Tell the Story of 50 Years of Hip-Hop? By Jon Caramanica / NYT
A Newly Discovered Realm of Accomplishment for John Coltrane. By Richard Brody / The New Yorker
Hannibal Buress the Rapper’s Warmup Act? Hannibal Buress the Comedian. By Carrie Battan / The New Yorker
André Watts, internationally acclaimed pianist, dies at 77. By Emily Langer / Wash Post
Black Music Sunday: Songs that honor Ida B. Wells’ crusades for justice. By Denise Oliver Velez / Daily Kos
Jay-Z honored with career-spanning exhibit at Brooklyn Public Library. By Variety and NBC News
Colorism is driving women of color to use harmful skin lightening products, says new study. By Char Adams / NBC News
I love hip-hop. But I’m so over the ‘ride-or-die’ chick. By Shanita Hubbard / Wash Post
Black Music Sunday: Celebrating Mavis Staples on her 84th birthday. By Denise Oliver Velez / Daily Kos
Aretha Franklin’s sons are going to court over her estate. Here’s what to know. By Daniel Arkin / NBC News
The Power Of HBCU Choirs. By Mary Gasman / Forbes
At Queens’ new Louis Armstrong Center, an archive comes home. By Nate Chinen / NPR
On the Anniversary of ‘The Fire Next Time.’ By David Shih / The Progressive
Remembering Louis Armstrong. By CBS News
