The B-word is both wound and shield. This essay maps its history, Black women’s experience, pop-culture reclamation, and the boundaries that keep respect intact.
hip hop
Posted inArts + Culture
Poetry a tool for expression, transformation
National Poetry Month is a celebration of poetry that was started in 1996 to give poetry a little extra love and attention, with many Black poets using poetry as a tool for survival and resistance, for transformation, and to carry the pulse of resistance through the ages.
Posted inNews
City of Minneapolis honors local hip hop legends at 50th anniversary event (photos)
Around 100 people showed up at the event to honor pillars of the local hip hop community.
Posted inArts + Culture, Music
Unforgettable night of music and tributes at the 2023 BET Awards
This year’s highly anticipated event celebrated 50 years of hip-hop with an unforgettable night of special musical medleys handpicked by Kid Capri.
Posted inArts + Culture, Music
Trendsetting Rapper Gangsta Boo of Three 6 Mafia dies at 43
Born Lola Chantrelle Mitchell in Memphis, Tennessee, Mitchell counted among the female pioneers in the heavily male dominated genre.
Posted inFeatured, Local & State, News
Historical Society enshrines local hip hop legacy
Some of Minnesota’s early pioneers in hip hop were commemorated recently by the Minnesota Historical Society with a photo induction at the History Center.
Posted inArts + Culture
DMX, hip hop superstar, has died at 50
DMX, the sensationally talented and gruff-voiced rap artist and actor who rose from the hardscrabble streets of Yonkers, New York, to become one of hip-hop’s most prolific stars, has died at the age of 50.
Posted inArts + Culture, Music
Rap music’s path from pariah to Pulitzer
Over the past few decades, we’ve seen a similar dynamic with rap music. While some have attempted to silence rap because of its raw portrayal of life in inner-city communities, people increasingly see its value. Like slave narratives, rap music has given an authentic and candid voice to the voiceless.