Civil Rights

Confederate Statues Are Coming Down As Rappers Speak Up

At this very moment, the United States is undergoing an unnerving week of heated political debate. Over the previous weekend, a rally organized by members of White nationalist, KKK, and other extremist groups turned violent and fatal. Charlottesville, Virginia has become the unwitting headquarters for America's latest civil-rights battle, one... Read more

August 16, 2017 Lifestyle, News

Nas Says We Need Racial “Healing” & Looks To Muhammad Ali For Guidance (Video)

Earlier this year, the world lost an icon in Muhammad Ali. The legendary boxer and civil-rights activist made history inside and outside of the ring, by boldly standing up against the U.S. government when conscripted into the military in protest of the Vietnam War, and adopting the Islamic faith and... Read more

December 22, 2016 Lifestyle

The NCAA Is Playing Offense & Moving Its Games Out Of North Carolina

Less than two months after the National Basketball Association announced it would be moving its 2017 All-Star Game and all related festivities out of North Carolina, the National Collegiate Athletic Association is taking a similar stand. The N.C.A.A. will be relocating all of the sports events scheduled to take place... Read more

September 13, 2016 Lifestyle

The Black Lives Matter Movement Has New Demands for Justice & Calls for Reparations

Today (August 1), many of the social-justice organizations within the civil-rights movement known as Black Lives Matter are unveiling a series of policy goals aimed at redefining and honing the movement's direction. Also being referred to as a list of demands, the platform - officially titled "A Vision For Black... Read more

August 1, 2016 Lifestyle

Michael Jordan Has Made the Boldest Political Statement of His Career

Arguably the world's most iconic living athlete, Michael Jordan dominated the sport of basketball and ventured onto successful careers as a business man, film star, fashion mogul, and sports executive. Along with his prowess on the court, the branding of the Jordan image is one of the most lucrative in... Read more

July 25, 2016 Lifestyle

The Federal Government Is Telling North Carolina to Back Off in Support of LGBTQ Rights (Video)

The Tar Heel State has become a hotbed in the ongoing battle for LGBTQ rights, with particular emphasis on the "T." North Carolina legislators recently passed House Bill 2, which has colloquially been called the "Bathroom Bill," an ordinance which effectively forces transgendered men and women to use the public... Read more

May 5, 2016 Lifestyle

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Words In This Rare 1967 Interview Are Still Relevant Today (Video)

A recently found master tape of a 1967 interview featuring Martin Luther King, Jr. on the iconic Merv Griffin talk show surfaced earlier this year, and it is an awe inspiring look at a man who was rarely seen in casual conversation. The Civil Rights Era thought leader has always... Read more

March 2, 2016 Lifestyle

Hear How Muhammad Ali & Malcolm X Met And Why They Parted Ways (Audio)

Today marks the anniversary of former heavyweight champion boxer Sonny Liston's 1964 defeat at the hands of Cassius Clay, a young boxer who boasted that he would "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee." Later changing his name to Muhammad Ali, the new heavyweight champion would go on to... Read more

February 25, 2016 Lifestyle

Killer Mike Is Taking The Fight To The Supreme Court To Protect Freedom Of Speech In Rap Music

In late 2015, Hip-Hop made its way to the steps of the Supreme Court when Killer Mike and others threw their support behind a teenager whose decision to pen a Rap song about goings-on at his high school got him suspended, permanently staining his academic record. Taylor Bell, a Mississippi student... Read more

February 19, 2016 Lifestyle

Killer Mike & Iconic Olympian Tommie Smith Discuss the Past & Current Civil Rights Movements (Video)

In one of the most iconic sports photographs, American Olympian athlete Tommie Smith is seen raising his Black fist into the air in solidarity with his fellow medal winners in a stunning show of solidarity with those back home fighting for civil rights. Nearly 50 years later, and Americans are... Read more

January 28, 2016 Lifestyle

Yasiin Bey Declares 2016 Album Will Be His Last & Announces Industry Retirement

This week, Yasiin Bey (f/k/a Mos Def) left a very unique voicemail on Kanye West's phone. West, who signed Bey to his G.O.O.D. Music imprint after years of collaboration, shared the message with the public yesterday (January 19). The Brooklyn, New York MC reacted to West's latest song, "No More... Read more

January 20, 2016 Audio, News

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Turns 50 Today. Here’s Why It’s Still Fighting for Survival

In the summer of 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law federal legislation which aimed to tackle racial discrimination in voting. The Civil Rights Era had brought racial tensions to a head, and Black Americans were fighting alongside Asian and Latino citizens for equal treatment under the law. Described... Read more

August 6, 2015 Lifestyle

Now That Gay Marriage Is Legal in Every State, Will Hip-Hop End Its Homophobia?

In a ringing endorsement for civil equality, the Supreme Court yesterday (June 26) ruled that gay marriage is a national right and that individual states no longer have the ability to ban gay men and lesbian women from matrimony. With that decision came sweeping support from many, but there are... Read more

June 27, 2015 Lifestyle

Charles Hamilton Pays Tribute to the Civil Rights Movement in His Latest Visual (Video)

As part of his comeback, Charles Hamilton has been making a good amount of press from his interviews and blazing freestyles, and by recently releasing his entire discography for free to the public. The Harlem, New York MC just released a video for his single "New York Raining," featuring Roc... Read more

April 13, 2015 Video

Killer Mike Looks At Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In A Different, Timeless Light

In his latest journalistic pursuit, Killer Mike reflected on the life and holiday memorial surrounding Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Writing at Okayplayer, Mike applied Dr. King's message to 2015, and urged the followers of the Civil Rights martyr and his own fans to raise their level of action. An... Read more

January 19, 2015 Fresh

Yasiin Bey On Recent US Events: “We Are At A Watershed Moment For Humanity”

Besides rapping, singing, and acting, Yasiin Bey (f/k/a Mos Def) is a Spoken Word artist and a self-proclaimed humanitarian. Deliberately out of the spotlight for much of the last five years, Yasiin opted to put his thoughts to audio, surrounding the murders of Michael Brown and Eric Garner (among others),... Read more

December 5, 2014 Audio, Fresh

Common & John Legend Honor The Civil Rights Movement Of The ’60s & Today (Audio)

Need some chicken noodle soup for the soul today? This may be it... Old G.O.O.D. Music brothers Common and John Legend come together for "Glory." Holding 2014's Ferguson protestors up alongside Rosa Parks' Birmingham, Alabama bus incident and subsequent boycott (59 years ago this week), this uplifting song is about... Read more

December 4, 2014 Audio, Fresh

The-Dream Shows Real, Active Change In His Powerful Visual For Black (Video)

After April's lyric video, The-Dream shows that he had some truly massive plans for "Black." The song, a message of Black empowerment, uses modern illustrations for racism (the violence in Chicago, materialistic stereotypes, Tommy Hilfiger's racist remarks) as well as iconic mentions of Marvin Gaye, Malcolm X, and Dr. Martin... Read more

July 2, 2014 Fresh, Video

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