Black News and Black Views with a Whole Lotta Attitude

Search

  • In Memoriam: Honoring Those We Lost in 2019

    The year 2019 took us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions: It began with the swearing-in of the most diverse Congress in U.S. history and culminated with the impeachment of the president. In between, we witnessed rap going country with Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road”; Lizzo blowing up big with performances at the BET…

    By

    Ericka Blount Danois

    Published

  • Here's Why Winston Duke is Wearing a 'Howard' Sweatshirt In Us

    At 6 feet 5 inches, Winston Duke already stands out as the gentle giant who has to get brolic in Jordan Peele’s new nightmare Us. But the real star is what he’s wearing throughout the film—a sweatshirt with the word “Howard” emblazoned across it. This fact was not lost on the campus of Howard University,…

    By

    Ericka Blount Danois

    Published

  • Emanuel: NBA Star Steph Curry Debuts Poignant Documentary About the Murder of 9 Parishioners at South Carolina Church

    The crowd was feverish with anticipation to see their NBA All-Star darling, Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry, who, because of flight delays, was late to the stage at Howard University’s Cramton Auditorium on Wednesday night. Curry was at the Mecca to premiere the documentary, Emanuel, the doleful story of the 2015 murder of…

    By

    Ericka Blount Danois

    Published

  • New Documentary to Shed Light on Why Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F' Wit

    Cinematographer Hans Charles wanted to visually frame the Wu-Tang Clan and all of their personas in a way that celebrated each of them as thriving black men in America. Likewise, director Sacha Jenkins understood that the real story in their four-hour documentary on Wu-Tang’s music and legacy is really about “black men who knew each…

    By

    Ericka Blount Danois

    Published

  • Meet RBRM, the Artists Formerly Known as New Edition

    At 49, it takes a lot more work for the King of R&B, Bobby Brown, now a grandfather to two, to hump around. But at a showcase for RBRM (Ronnie DeVoe, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell and Mike Bivins), part of the group formerly known as New Edition, Brown gave the audience a preview of what…

    By

    Ericka Blount Danois

    Published

  • These Police Stole, Sold Drugs and Covered Up Killings; Now Baltimore Must Pick Up the Pieces

    In 2010, Baltimore resident Jovonne Walker was a party planner and a nurse. She and her husband, Jamal, planned three parties over one weekend and had $43,000 in cash on hand that her husband was taking to the bank around 11 a.m. As Jamal stopped to talk to his friends, Baltimore City Sgt. Wayne Jenkins…

    By

    Ericka Blount Danois

    Published

  • As Baltimore’s Homicides Reach 300, Activists Call for Another Cease-Fire Weekend

    As the number of homicides in Baltimore this year climbs past 300 and the city’s Police Department remains embroiled in scandal, with officers caught on camera planting evidence and eight others facing federal racketeering charges, fed-up Baltimore City residents have decided to take matters into their own hands. And they’re doing it using a simple…

    By

    Ericka Blount Danois

    Published

  • After Freddie Gray, Marilyn Mosby Intends to Keep on Fighting the Good Fight

    Marilyn Mosby is fighting new battles. She’s used to that. The Baltimore prosecutor—an African-American woman, putting her among the 1 percent of all elected prosecutors in the nation who are women of color—made a name for herself by doing what shouldn’t have been considered remarkable: prosecuting six police officers in the death of a black…

    By

    Ericka Blount Danois

    Published

  • Ice-T on Why He’s Hip-Hop’s Unsung O.G.

    Most Law & Order junkies and millennials probably only know Ice-T affectionately as the gruff, no-nonsense NYPD Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. But the rapper Ice-T came well before his nearly 20-year run on the television show. The story of Ice-T the rapper, including his crime-ridden days and his…

    By

    Ericka Blount Danois

    Published

  • Shanice Isn’t Done Singing Just Yet

    In the fall of 1991, the feel-good single “I Love Your Smile” set five-octave singer Shanice afloat with a music video in which her wholesome, girl-next-door charm and wide smile fit perfectly with what she was singing about. Although the single peaked at No. 2 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the U.K. Singles…

    By

    Ericka Blount Danois

    Published

Ericka Blount Danois Avatar
Ericka Blount Danois
I am an author, journalist and professor. My first book, Love, Peace and Soul, the behind-the-scenes story of the television show, Soul Train, was published in 2013.