The Mothership is the space vehicle of George Clinton aka Mr. Funkenstein and his wingmen of Supergroovalisticprosifunkstication. As part of the Parliament-Funkadelic theory, it existed as a fictional vehicle of funk arrival to engage fans who were down with the P-Funk movement. After the success of his hit “Chocolate City,” Clinton says, the Mothership was later developed into a physical…
A&E, Enduring Myths, Music, News
His Purple Badness: 5 Conspiracy Theories About Prince
Beyoncé and Jay Z aren’t the only ones in the center of speculation about the Illuminati. Such talk has swirled around Prince, too. Inquiring minds also wonder whether Prince died from “chemtrail flu” from planes on April 21 —despite the autopsy report citing an accidental overdose of the synthetic opioid Fentanyl. Then there are those who say…
Fact-Checks, News
Best NBA Team of All Time? It’s Up for Debate as History Repeats Itself
By Heavenlee Blue The Golden State Warriors have matched the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls with 72 regular-season wins, but there are still people including most former Bulls players declaring Chicago superior. But who is truly the better team? The Warriors must win their final game of the season at 10:30 p.m. EST today against the Memphis Grizzlies…
For the Record, News
95-Year-Old Naval Mystery Ends, Bringing Family Together
By Leanna Commins WASHINGTON – Edward Wilson, a mere 19, was one of several African-American crewmembers aboard the USS Conestoga when it mysteriously disappeared at sea after it departed March 25, 1921, from San Francisco for Hawaii. For nearly a century, what happened to the 56-member crew has been a puzzling footnote in U.S….
A&E, For the Record, News
#OscarsSoWhite, Because #HollywoodSoWhite — and Male
By Miesha Miller April Reign, who spearheaded the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag, will be live-tweeting “The Wood” with some of her 22,000 Twitter followers during the telecast of the 88th Academy Awards tonight. As part of a nationwide series of protests and “tune-outs,” the Rev. Al Sharpton plans to lead a rally outside the Dolby Theatre in…
Fact-Checks, News
Does a Dollar Spent in the Black Community Really Stay There for Only Six Hours?
By Brookie Madison Two weeks ago, journalist Roland Martin, host of NewsOne Now, cited a figure that has often been used to show how little blacks spend in their neighborhoods compared to other racial and ethnic groups. The lifespan of a dollar in the Asian community is 28 days, in the Jewish community…
Fact-Checks, News
Does Filming the Police Drive a Wedge Between Cops and Blacks?
James Comey, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, gave a speech before the International Association of Chiefs of Police in late October, telling the group that those filming the police were “driving a wedge between African-American communities and law enforcement.” It’s an interesting statement since Comey is part of the Obama administration, which has called…
News
All Lives Matter *
Just because people want to save rainforests doesn’t mean that they’re dismissive of other forests, says political cartoonist Keith Knight. Similarly, the #BlackLivesMatter movement doesn’t mean that proponent don’t care about other lives, Knight said during “Drawn From the Headlines: Communication and Political Cartoons,” a discussion Wednesday night at the National Archives in Washington. “You’ve gotta think…
Fact-Checks, News
Can Ben Carson Help GOP Attract Black Voters?
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson launched a new radio campaign last week — featuring a Carson-inspired rap, meant to grow his appeal among African-American voters, according to his campaign. The $150,000 advertisement, interspersed with rhymes from rapper Aspiring Mogul and bits from Carson’s stump speech, will air for two weeks in eight urban markets. The…
News
Between the World and Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ta-Nehisi Coates returned to home to The Mecca, where he spent the day interacting with Howard University students — some of whom he praised for stumping him with insightful questions. The MacArthur “Genius” Grant recipient participated in master classes and an evening event that filled Cramton Auditorium, where he discussed everything from history and identity to…