Netflix’s Sean Combs: The Reckoning has reignited national debate about celebrity power, accountability, and hip hop’s cultural legacy, drawing both intense praise and sharp backlash.
Arts + Culture
A space for local and national arts and entertainment stories, with an emphasis on stories pertaining to the African American experience.
Posted inJames on Jazz
Jazz masters, Grammy picks, and a standout night at Orchestra Hall
Grammy nominations, NEA Jazz Masters honors, and a standout Wynton Marsalis performance highlight a powerful season for jazz.
Posted inArts + Culture
‘Nothing to prove, only to share’
Toni Pierce Sands, co founder of TU Dance and one of Minnesota’s most influential dance leaders, has died at 63. Dancers remember her not only for her artistry and Ailey lineage, but for her gift of making people feel seen. Former students describe how she unlocked their confidence and taught them that dance is about truth rather than perfection. Her legacy continues in the community she built and the philosophy she carried: nothing to prove, only to share.
Posted inArts + Culture
How Grant West helped students find their musical voices
For nearly four decades, Grant West has been a guiding force in St. Paul’s arts and culture landscape — an educator, advocate and community builder whose belief in the power of music has shaped generations of young musicians. As co-founder of Walker West Music Academy, West has helped students discover their talents while creating one […]
Posted inMusic
D’Angelo: Pondering what could have been
D’Angelo, the groundbreaking soul artist behind “Brown Sugar,” “Voodoo” and “Black Messiah,” has died at 50 after a private fight with cancer. From his church roots to his rise as a defining voice of neo soul, his legacy shaped artists across genres. Peers like Questlove and H.E.R. describe him as a rare, pure artist whose music, mentorship and spirit transformed the landscape of Black music.
Posted inBooks
‘Natural Order’ explores love, trauma and renewal
Donika Kelly’s “The Natural Order of Things” opens with the familiar warmth of Black gatherings and uses bones as a powerful symbol to explore love, queerness, community and healing. With lyrical precision, Kelly moves between tenderness, political awareness and the natural world, offering a collection that speaks to survival and the ongoing work of living in one’s body with honesty and joy.
Posted inMovies
Wicked: For Good
Wicked: For Good is a dazzling and emotional conclusion to the Wicked film duology. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande deliver standout performances as Elphaba and Glinda, backed by Jon M. Chu’s visionary direction and sweeping production elements. The movie blends spectacle, heart and a surprising new twist that makes this chapter stand out from the original.
Posted inBooks
Local author celebrates the world through a child’s eyes
In 2020, as Minneapolis grappled with the twin realities of pandemic isolation and civil unrest, South Minneapolis native Jocelyn McQuirter found herself observing a quiet but powerful story unfolding at home: the world through the eyes of her two-year-old son, Kaiden. While the city experienced uncertainty and tension, Kaiden remained fully immersed in play, mesmerized […]
Posted inBooks
‘At Mama Feely’s Feet’ journeys through faith, generational healing
When Hope Venetta began writing “At Mama Feely’s Feet,” she wasn’t simply crafting a book. She was building what she calls “an altar of remembrance.” Venetta, a Durham-based therapist and storyteller, set out to create a space where the stories of her family, and those of other Black families, could be honored, reclaimed and healed. […]
Posted inEvents
Art, Activism, and Appreciation: Blackbird Revolt Announces Two November Events
Resist & Reclaim brings together 20 Black and Indigenous women and femme artists who transformed second-hand denim into stories of identity and liberation.
Posted inArtists
Minnesota Artist Nur-D Calls on Community to Help Save Fair Play Entertainment Recording Studio
Minnesota artist Nur-D is asking the community to help save Fair Play Entertainment, the recording studio he co founded in South Minneapolis. The space has become a creative home for new and independent artists, but rising costs threaten its future. Nur-D and DJ Hayes hope to raise $8,000 to continue offering accessible studio time for local musicians.
Posted inArtists
Eliza Winston exhibit illuminates Minnesota’s complicated history with slavery
Hennepin History Museum’s new exhibit centers Eliza Winston, whose 1860 court victory made her the first person to legally secure freedom in Minnesota, while confronting the state’s quiet complicity in slavery.
Posted inEvents
The Residency Opens Its Doors: A New Creative Hub Blending Art, Music, and Culture
The Residency debuts in Minneapolis with an immersive grand opening featuring art, music, cocktails, and community energy. Learn more about the space designed to elevate creative collaboration.
Posted inArts + Culture
Fall into jazz: smooth sounds and star performances this season
The crisp, cool air of autumn is here, the fall colors are on full display, and soon some of jazz’s brightest stars will be too. Add to that a host of warm, colorful new recordings perfect for cozying up on chilly days ahead. Boney James and Kirk Whalum, two of today’s biggest contemporary jazz artists, […]
Posted inArts + Culture
Bloomington gallery specializes in Shona sculpture
Rex Mhiripiri’s Bloomington gallery showcases hundreds of hand-carved Zimbabwean Shona sculptures, creating a thriving cultural and artistic bridge between Africa and the Midwest.
Posted inMovies
Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein offers grand design and stellar visuals but little of the terror or tension that defines the classic story. Despite its ambition, this version feels more art gallery than horror film.
Posted inArts + Culture
For teen artist, creativity is emotional expression
At 17, Patience “Pizel” Epps turns emotion into mixed-media art and brings her voice to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Her journey shows how creativity can become language, purpose, and a path forward.
Posted inTicket Giveway
Win Tickets to See Herbie Hancock Live at the Orpheum Theatre!
The Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder is giving readers an unforgettable opportunity to see Herbie Hancock, one of the most influential musicians of our time, live in concert on Wednesday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m. at the Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis.
Posted inBooks
In ‘Before I Lie,’ MN poet speaks up for Black women
A powerful review of Dralandra Larkins’ hybrid collection Before I Lie. The book centers truth telling, Black girlhood, ASL, and healing through poetry, prose, and image.
Posted inNews
A House of Dynamite
“Object remains inbound!” Those aren’t the words you want to hear when a nuclear missile is headed your way. By suggesting that if there was an impending nuclear attack, things might not go as planned. That the world’s strongest military force and most formidable super power might flounder. It’s feasible enough to be intriguing. The […]