Culture
Aretha Franklin and the Futility of Trying to Portray Her Onscreen. By Salamishah Tillet / NYT
Chadwick Boseman’s death shed light on colon cancer, but rates remain high among Black people. By Curtis Bunn / NBC News
Lee Morgan’s ‘Live at the Lighthouse’ was a masterpiece that turned out to be a farewell. By Shannon J. Effinger / Wash Post
R. & B. Nostalgia Embraces Rap Influence on “Cheers to the Best Memories.” By Sheldon Pearce / The New Yorker
Collaborations between Black women are sparking a golden age for female hip-hop. By Natachi Onwuamaegbu / Wash Post
For Aretha Franklin, a Grudge Was a Way to Earn R-E-S-P-E-C-T. By Christopher John Farley / NYT
Aretha Franklin: The Little-Known Traumas That Fueled Her Music. By Julie Miller / Vanity Fair
Black women are finally shattering the glass ceiling in dance. By Sarah L. Kaufman / Wash Post
R. Kelly Faces Reckoning After Years Of Suspicion. By Tom Hays / HuffPost
Cornel West on Why the Left Needs Jesus. By Emma Green / The Atlantic
‘Respect’ Screenwriter Tracey Scott Wilson On Evoking Aretha Franklin, The Activist. By Taryn Finley / HuffPost
The Misunderstood Talent of Gladys Knight. By Emily Lordi / The New Yorker
An Undersung Master of Jazz Gets His Day. By Sheldon Pearce / The New Yorker
Rihanna officially a billionaire at 33 years old, according to Forbes. By Caitlin O’Kane / CBS News
What the Harlem Cultural Festival Represented. By David Hajdu / The Nation
New film revisits mysterious death of Black high school athlete in rural Georgia. By Curtis Bunn / NBC News
Jungle Cruise: Disney’s movie confronts the racist legacy of Trader Sam. By Joseph Spiegel / Slate
Exploring astrology and the zodiac in Black music. By Denise Oliver Velez / Daily Kos
The Travel Industry’s Reckoning With Race and Inclusion. By Tariro Mzezewa / NYT
Alice Clark Brown, Black Star in a White Circus, Dies at 68. By Neil Genzlinger / NYT
What made Mr. Ailey Mr. Ailey? New documentary offers a fuller picture of the modern dance pioneer. By Linda Matchan / Wash Post
James Brown’s Heirs Reach Agreement Over Estate, Ending Legal Battle. By Daniel Kreps / Rolling Stone
Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen Announce ‘Renegades: Born in the USA.’ By Emily Zemler / Rolling Stone
Kiese Laymon on why America’s story requires revision. By Jamil Smith / Vox
Why Gil Scott-Heron’s ‘Whitey on the Moon’ still feels relevant today. A. D. Carson / The Conversation
Kanye West Returns to Instagram With a Fit Pic. By Emily Kirkpatrick / Vanity Fair
