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Chris Pizzello / Invision / AP / Zak ... The Remarkable Rise of Tiffany Haddish
The standup and Girls Trip star had a breakout summer, and her success points to how comedy has—and hasn’t—changed for women and entertainers of color.
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Obama's Chicago Speech Can't Address Gun Violence Unless It Takes On Race
Academic research long ago showed that poverty and institutional racism are at the root of urban crime. Will the president have the courage to say so?
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Tim Scott, Tokenism, and the Lessons the GOP Still Hasn't Learned
The South Carolinian's Senate appointment might look like progress, but it's really the latest sign of a failure to modernize.
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How Rap Can Help End Rape Culture
Angel Haze speaks up about being sexually abused on her powerful new track, and her testimony couldn't come at a more urgent time
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Matt Sayles / AP The Love Letter That Shook Hip-Hop
Even as rap has grown more tolerant, it’s shied away from talking directly about same-sex relationships—and love in general. That’s why Frank Ocean’s coming-out note is important.
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The Blandification of Southern Rap
Local pride has fueled some of the best hip hop in history, but as one region's profile has risen over the past decade, its identity has been watered down.
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Drake, Childish Gambino, and the Specter of Black Authenticity
Neither rapper is a conventional hip-hop star, and each deal with that fact in different ways
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Is Obama Really the Hip-Hop President?
The answer is more complicated than it seems
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Lil Wayne Is Out of Prison. Now What?
Will the charismatic rapper's time in jail change anything for him?
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Hip-Hop Doesn't Need Saviors
Drake's disappointing debut album underscores the need to abandon the industry-imposed good rapper vs. bad rapper stereotype
