AMERICA’S CULTURAL INTERLOCUTORThe Importance of Larry Wilmore<p>At <i>The Nightly Show</i>’s<i> </i>core is a commitment to the idea of purposeful conversation, rather than the moral superiority that comes with being right.</p> Rawiya Kameir
NOT A PUNCHLINEBobby Shmurda & Hip-Hop’s Hoop DreamIn photos of the rapper's perp walk we see a system that indicts a 20-year-old for selling crack but not a police officer for choking the life out of a citizen. We don’t see a joke.Rawiya Kameir
SHE CAN DO IT ALLNicki Minaj Bares Her Own Vulnerability<p><i>The Pinkprint</i> holds the weight of watching a relationship crumble; where some have public meltdowns and volleys of badmouthing, Nicki Minaj has her punchlines, flows, and ‘an empire also.’</p> Rawiya Kameir
GUILTYour White Guilt Is Bringing Me DownWhite people and nonblack people of color have the luxury of treating these cases as injustices. For them, it is moralistic. For us, it's about survival. A conversation about race.Rawiya Kameir
Funny HurtsThe Race Movie We Didn’t Know We Needed<p><i>Dear White People</i> is a conversation about racism not buried under wishful thinking. For a black woman whose tastes run counter to Tyler Perry, it’s a rare thing to feel understood.</p> Rawiya Kameir
Straight Outta ComptonThe Resurrection of Black Jesus ChristBlack Jesus smokes copious amounts of weed mooched off his friends and makes miracles by turning water into cognac. But where the hell’s the poignant social critique?Rawiya Kameir
NarrativeLupita’s ‘Acceptable Blackness’As Nyong’o’s star rises, the charming Ivy League graduate with an America-approved cultural pedigree is being used as proof of the mythical post-racialism of Hollywood.Rawiya Kameir
Let It BurnWhy U Still Love Usher, BabyBaby-faced and with a voice like honey, Usher's evolved from middling ’90s R&B novelty to genuine pop star. And with ‘Good Kisser,’ he reminds us why he’s still relevant.Rawiya Kameir
Drake Featuring DrakeWhy Drake Dissed Jay ZThe Canadian child actor-turned-rapper loves moms, hugs, and sweaters and he knows how easy that is to make fun of. No matter, Drizzy’s poised to eclipse the hip hop sphere.Rawiya Kameir
Not Much to SayHe’s the Happy Man in the HatPharrell is suddenly a 40-year-old in a baffling hat who dances with Meryl at the Oscars and has ostensibly replaced ambition and experimentation with contentedness and confidence.Rawiya Kameir
