Pangea World Theater has acquired 3020 Minnehaha Ave., securing a permanent home near the former Third Precinct as one of the only immigrant-owned businesses to rebuild in the area following the 2020 unrest.
Arts + Culture
A space for local and national arts and entertainment stories, with an emphasis on stories pertaining to the African American experience.
Posted inOn the Radar
iLLism: The South Minneapolis Duo Building a Creative Legacy
Twin Cities hip-hop duo iLLism, consisting of husband-and-wife creators Fancy and Emmanuel Duncan, have evolved from a successful musical act into powerful community builders. Through CRWN Media, the Legacy Building, and the Soul of the Southside festival, they are actively rewriting the narrative for local creatives.
Posted inMusic
Rest in Power: Hip-Hop Legend Rob Base Dead at 59
Rob Base, one half of the legendary hip-hop duo Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock and the voice behind the genre-crossing 1988 anthem It Takes Two, passed away on May 22, 2026, at age 59 after a private battle with cancer.
Posted inFood
What the potlikker broth holds
Chef Lachelle Cunningham writes about potlikker, her Uncle Moe Burton’s legacy as a community organizer and cooperative grocer, and the unbroken line between feeding people, organizing people and building community power.
Posted inOn the Radar
Caring through art: How ‘artivist’ Esther Callahan cultivates Black creative spaces
Twin Cities artivist and curator Esther Callahan shares how she transformed personal trauma into a lifelong mission of healing, launching The BLK Collectors to uplift Black artists and investors.
Posted inTelevision
Minneapolis Leaders Demand Accountability From Netflix, Kevin Hart Over George Floyd Joke
Minneapolis community leaders and civil rights advocates gathered at the Hennepin County Government Center to condemn a joke about George Floyd made during Netflix’s Roast of Kevin Hart and demand accountability from the comedian, Hart and Netflix.
Posted inJames on Jazz
New releases and celebrations make for a Jazz-filled spring
Jazz columnist Robin James rounds up spring jazz news including Roy Hargrove’s live Bern recording, the first Kenny Dorham biography, new albums from Stacey Kent and Oscar Peterson, and a Guggenheim Fellowship for James Brandon Lewis.
Posted inOn the Radar
Kprecia Ambers uses digital art to foster representation and connection
North Minneapolis native Kprecia Ambers is transforming the world of digital illustration. Through her brand, KP Inspires, she creates soulful artwork designed to foster representation, celebrate Black beauty, and bring warmth into everyday home spaces.
Posted inOn the Radar
From Maya Angelou to the Emmy Stage, The Interdisciplinary Life of PaviElle French
From performing for Maya Angelou at age 10 to winning an Emmy for her documentary, Rondo native PaviElle French has spent her life refining a craft that blends soul, theater, and community activism
Posted inLocal & State
St. Paul publisher named to national list of top solo entrepreneurs
Dr. Artika R. Tyner, founder of Planting People Growing Justice Press and Bookstore in St. Paul, has been named a 2026 Zoom Solopreneur 50 honoree, selected from nearly 2,800 applicants across 48 states.
Posted inFashion
The future of fashion: Howard and U of M experts decode 2026 trends
Two fashion professors from Howard University and the University of Minnesota break down the clothing trends defining 2026, from bold graphic prints and jellies to elevated athleisure, the messy girl aesthetic and a growing push for sustainability.
Posted inMovies
The Devil Wears Prada 2
Film critic Dwight Brown reviews The Devil Wears Prada 2, finding a polished but redundant sequel that recaptures the original’s style without its shine, carried by strong chemistry but hampered by plodding direction and emotionally detached characters.
Posted inBooks
The Black lawyer history forgot
Norma Adams-Wade explores the forgotten legacy of attorney Joseph Edwin Wiley Sr., founder of Dallas’s historic Mill City community, through the unpublished memoir of 105-year-old Pearl Etta McVey-Guthrie.
Posted inMovies
Review: Michael Is a Polished but Incomplete Portrait of a Singular Artist
Film critic Dwight Brown reviews Michael, the sanitized but entertaining biopic of Michael Jackson that highlights his singular talent, groundbreaking music and the family dynamics that shaped his rise to stardom.
Posted inOn the Radar
The art of intentional dining: Jametta Raspberry’s House of Gristle
Chef Jametta Raspberry, founder of House of Gristle, transcends traditional dining by blending French culinary techniques with a deep passion for Black hospitality and community building.
Posted inArts + Culture
Finding clarity in chaos: Lokho Kotile’s ‘Lost in Abstraction’ centers emotional healing
Lokho Kotile Lost in Abstraction exhibition at Minneapolis invites viewers into an intimate exploration of emotion, identity and healing through watercolors and digital illustration rooted in Oromo diaspora experience.
Posted inOn the Radar
Photography, music and finding a home in clay with Sayge Carroll
Multidisciplinary artist Sayge Carroll transitioned from photography to clay, eventually co-founding Mudluk Pottery Studio. Her work blends ceramics and soundscapes to create a transformative, inclusive space in South Minneapolis.
Posted inEvents
Minneapolis to host massive Prince sing-along block party this June
Prince Celebration 2026 Minneapolis includes a free community sing-along on June 6 with 10,000 to 15,000 voices, a 100-person choir and emcee Thomasina Petrus as part of a five-day celebration marking a decade since Prince’s death.
Posted inArts + Culture
Where diasporic silos are being conquered: Meet BOMJA
BOMJA Minneapolis collective is building a space where African diaspora communities come together through Afrobeats, amapiano and hip-hop rooted in unity across cultural lines.
Posted inArts + Culture
Building without waiting: Amara Anieke is solving problems nobody else would
Amara Anieke is a Nigerian-born Minneapolis entrepreneur building simultaneously across prestige television, documentary film, water infrastructure technology, conflict intelligence and brand strategy at 27 years old.