Bone, Blood & Bigots: On The Liberation of L.B. Jones
“A 1965 novel about racial injustice and police brutality in the Deep South was hailed by critics and made into a major movie. The story would haunt its author until the bitter end.”
The Strange Story of Richard Wright’s Lost Crime Novel, Savage Holiday
“In 1954, at the height of his fame, Wright published a thriller with a white psychotic hero. The literary world did not approve.”
Black Utopia: The Funkadelic Art of Pedro Bell
Pedro Bell, whose album cover designs helped define Funkadelic’s warped, cosmic, joyous aesthetic, has died. Here is what he accomplished in his fertile life. As bassist Bootsy Collins said: “Thxs for yr service our brother.”
Blackstars
A personal essay in which Michael Gonzales reflects on the deaths of a dear friend, and a bookworm he idolized: David Bowie.
XXL’s A Great Day in Hip Hop: 16 Years Later
Actually, twenty years have now passed since the legendary Gordon Parks photographed 177 hip-hop artists and collaborators in a single image in Harlem. It was a once-in-a-lifetime gathering. People are still talking about it. To celebrate the anniversary, here’s the story of what it was like from someone who was there.