Black People Must Stand Up Against Toxic Hip Hop and Rick Ross Mastermind

Dr. Boyce Watkins talks about his recent article about the rapper Rick Ross, who used the name of Trayvon Martin in one of his songs. Dr. Watkins says that the African American community should stand up against toxic hip-hop artists and hold them accountable for the language that they use. He also says that the […]

The Image of BET is Challenged in Wake of "Don’t Sleep!" Cuts

“Someone needs to take on BET, and it needs to be all of us. BET is owned by people who care almost nothing for our community, for their only goal is to maximize the bottom line.” -Dr. Boyce Watkins responds to the cuts recently made to the BET information entertainment program “Don’t Sleep” with host […]

Dr. Boyce Watkins: Black People Must Take Commercialized Hip-Hop to Task

Tyler the Creator is destined to become the most popular Tyler in the country, if what is now called hip hop is left in the hands of corporate media. Although at this point nothing that the leader of the group Odd Future has even remotely  released would be considered radio-friendly. He has become popular among […]

Jay-Z’s Carnegie Hall Concert Received Too Much Media Hype?

Maybe not. But definitely for the wrong reason. Jay-Z will perform two shows at Carnegie Hall in February to benefit the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation and the United Way of NYC. Fact. Now we’re not sure if it was a slow news day or what, but the hype over Jay-Z’s concert at Carnegie Hall was […]