The Ringer
04/14/2025
Brian Tyree Henry Has Been Doing the Work
He's ready to break out as a leading man, as he has on Apple TV+'s 'Dope Thief.' But he's also had to cope with demons from his past.
Julian Kimble
Whatever.
He's ready to break out as a leading man, as he has on Apple TV+'s 'Dope Thief.' But he's also had to cope with demons from his past.
The Sixers guard takes us inside his leap from spark plug to bona fide superstar.
The prolific New Orleans MC reflects on his career, his relationship with Lil Wayne, and how he's not only survived, but prospered as rap has evolved several times over
The longtime Raptor, fresh off a Hall of Fame induction and a teary-eyed jersey retirement in Toronto, goes deep on what he learned over 22 years in the league.
He first broke out as the teenage star of Everybody Hates Chris before eventually landing the role of a lifetime in Quinta Brunson's hit ABC sitcom. And he has a few thoughts about Janine and Gregory's will-they-won't-they romance.
The former Super Bowl champion has always had a way with words. It has turned him into a trusted adviser to N.F.L. and college football players who want to use their "wittys to get up out that siti."
With four Power series under his belt, BMF, and more shows on the way, he built a TV empire the same way he built his rap career: with drive, talent, and a time-tested belief in the power of trolling.
'People aren't meant to be understood,' says Long Beach rapper Vince Staples, whose latest album is a tear-stained love letter to his Ramona Park neighborhood.
After a distinguished run on ESPN, Jones has moved into the anchor’s chair for his own HBO show. But it isn’t so much about the vessel as it is the man steering it.
The media personality reached a new level of the stratosphere with his viral Katt Williams interview earlier this year. Here, he goes long on signing a new deal with ESPN, the Caitlin Clark experience, and the blowback that comes with blowing up.
Tariq Trotter, the Roots frontman and author of the new book "The Upcycled Self," loves a period drama when it's done right.
Ahead of his new docuseries, the Big Film Subject reflects on his journey from an oft-criticized star player to the guy doing the criticizing of players.
At an age when most rappers drop off, Pusha T has figured out how to stay consistently at the top of his game.
Two years after the "Slap," Will Smith gets back to the basics, which could mean business as usual for him (and Hollywood).
Midway through season two of his HBO series, the sharpest thinker in sports is finding a new gear.
With ‘Atlanta’ ending its four-season run on the highest of notes, Brian Tyree Henry, Stephen Glover, and others from the team behind the series reflect on what ‘Atlanta’ was.
The veteran entertainer reflects on his journey from Roots, Reading Rainbow, and Star Trek to hosting America's favorite gameshow.
For years, Alfonso Ribeiro couldn’t escape the shadow of his most iconic character, Carlton Banks. But pure, unfettered joy like his can be restrained for only so long.
From hustle culture to $200 dates, Black Twitter's most divisive debates boil down to class disparity.
The bone-deep disillusionment of postwar film noir becomes a powerful vehicle to explore America’s racial injustices in Carl Franklin’s richly atmospheric Devil in a Blue Dress, an adaptation of the hard-boiled novel by Walter Mosley.
The show's lead director and Donald Glover's right hand reflects on the journey as the series approaches its end.
Season 3 has found the show’s core cast enjoying more success than ever. As the installment’s unorthodox storytelling exemplifies, fame can make Black experiences that much more confounding.
The ‘Atlanta’ writer and executive producer, who also happens to be Donald Glover’s brother, ensures the show remains unpredictable—whether people like it or not.
One of noir’s primary characteristics is its skewering of society’s ills. But films like ‘Deep Cover’ and ‘Devil in a Blue Dress’ helped turn the genre's eye toward race and racism.
Director Shaka King explains how it became possible to make a Hollywood movie about the socialist Black Panther Fred Hampton.
In Spike Lee’s latest film, Delroy Lindo turns in a stunning performance that tackles trauma and how Donald Trump spoke to a disaffected subset of Black men.
It's a mystery that's loomed over the series since the pilot. Now, in its final season, Atlanta is answering the big questions.
The legacy of Eddie Murphy’s 1992 rom-com classic.
Even as hip-hop has become the dominant style of popular music in America, it is still unmistakably an art form deeply rooted in African American culture. And that has created something of an issue in how the music is covered, especially now that it is written about in every publication that deems itself at all culturally relevant.
When Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown faces off against his brother, Bears receiver Equanimeous, the competitive streaks stoked by their parents can shine.
Ahead of the Season 2 return of HBO’s ‘Industry,’ series star Myha’la Herrold explains Harper Stern’s evolution.
Lawrence's baby drama this season is sure to give Insecure's audience a lot to argue about.
Showtime's dark comedy about two struggling Brooklyn friends sneaks up on you.
Twenty-five years ago Wednesday, the Notorious B.I.G. was killed, marking the end of a bleak chapter in hip-hop's history. For the writers and editors who covered his and Tupac's lives and music, the tragedies stick with them to this day.
The Lox found their niche at the turn of the millennium with a brash style of street rap all their own: You felt every "Fuck you" in your chest and knew they meant it.
The ‘Sopranos’ prequel film gives Leslie Odom Jr. a meaty role as Harold McBrayer, but the movie doesn’t seem to know quite what do with the character.
Success is relative, but by almost every measure, Wale is a success story.
After ruling Hollywood for an extended period, the 2010s saw Smith lose his Midas touch. Now, ‘King Richard’ has him more in control of the Hollywood landscape—and in the middle of Oscars season.
At 55 years old, Janet Jackson has lived a life of such incident - a childhood in showbiz, marriage, divorce, the death of her superstar brother Michael, a few of the greatest albums in pop-music history - that a comprehensive documentary about her could easily last 10 hours.
Though best known as Avon Barksdale, Wood Harris has become one of the most reliable character actors in Hollywood.
In 2002, Roc-A-Fella Records’ Damon Dash backed ‘Paid in Full,’ a movie loosely based on the tales of real-life legendary Harlem drug kingpins. The film wasn’t a hit, but it’s lived on as a cult classic thanks to an indelible performance from one of the greatest rappers the borough ever produced.
“Atlanta,” FX’s occasionally surreal examination of human behavior, is acutely aware of the Internet.
The veteran DJ and label exec reflects on his rise, relationships with Lil Uzi Vert and Jack Harlow and restoring Gangsta Grillz energy on Tyler, The Creator's new album.
"I had to get creative to reinvent myself."
The Compton MC and his label were among the most popular and influential entities in music of the past decade. But their relationship is coming to an end. So what now?
The veteran actor, who died this week, found his purpose by elevating the stories of people the world has historically shown little interest or mercy.
Released 30 years ago, the movie is best remembered for Kid ’n Play and an infamous dance battle. But the breakout hit was also one of the most important films of the 1990s.
The recently Grammy-nominated MC took inspiration from The Last Dance to peak at an age when most rappers are in decline.
In 1996, the two most prominent groups from hip-hop’s most prominent "conscious" collective released tense works that reacted to the evolving genre around them—and signaled the end of the crew as fans knew it.
The five-time Grammy Award winner - long haunted by the actions of men surrounding her - will now be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
The TV series 'Them' is the latest in a line of shows and movies to traffic in brutal depictions of racism in order to shock.
Chucky Thompson, who died Aug. 9 from COVID-19 complications, produced classic records by the Notorious B.I.G. and Mary J. Blige for Bad Boy Records.
The rapper and director both called the same neighborhood home and had a mutual respect for one another's work. But their connection runs deeper than that. On the eve of what would've been Nipsey's 35th birthday, we explore who and what they represented-and why.
The iconic director's behind-the-scenes photos put huge chunks of hip-hop history into new relief.
Meek has become the face of prison reform advocacy. But is his stance contradicted by his bromance with the billionaire Patriots owner?
“How’s It Goin’ Down” is beautiful, pensive and painfully realistic.
After sharing scenes in 2017’s ‘Get Out,’ both actors have risen to the top of their craft, albeit through very different methods.
FX’s tale of the rise of crack on the streets of South Central L.A. in the 1980s got off to a slow start, but now in its fourth season, it’s one of the most underrated shows on television.
October 25 Kali Uchis is highly particular. She likes the design of Adams Morgan's Line hotel but wishes the TV in her room could swing out from its wall mount. She enjoys Los Angeles, but the lack of seasonal weather makes her feel as though she's caught in a "Groundhog Day" loop.
The longtime NBA host and reporter reflects on the creation and legacy of one of the most influential sports shows in history.
The sports documentary event of the year plots the tale of Michael Jordan’s rise alongside hip-hop’s. It also invokes feelings from the past at a time when we need them the most.
The monologue hit high notes at times but was not without lazy, cheap moments too.
Too often, a "progressive" image has crumbled under misogynistic acts.
Will Smith's TV cousin is best remembered for his bowtie and love of Tom Jones, but the character was much more complex than that. On the 30th anniversary of the debut of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,' we look back at Carlton's creation and legacy.
Corporate activism feels warm, fuzzy, and progressive, but optics aren’t the same as real change.
After R&B supergroup TLC dropped "No Scrubs," a little-known New York rap group called Sporty Thievz responded with "No Pigeons." It launched a gender war on and off the airwaves, amplified by two trios, two songs, one beat and zero apologies.
It was a mostly quiet conversation with Schoolboy Q until the national anthem protest of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick was introduced. That point of contention snared the Los Angeles rapper's attention. "I never stood for the national anthem," Schoolboy Q offered. "That's how I was raised."
You can spend 15 minutes with Ari Lennox and feel like you've known her for 15 years.
On this weekend in 1991, John Singleton’s debut film became a box-office hit. It also became a lightning rod for people looking to write off Black movies as violence-inducing. But that narrative was always more fairy tale than reality.
"After Hours" and the history of dystopian themes in the Canadian pop star's music.
The actor’s death from colon cancer at age 43 comes during a difficult year for Black Americans. But even in death, he remains a source of optimism.
What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the name Latrell Sprewell? His 35-point performance at Madison Square Garden with the New York Knicks facing elimination in the 1999 NBA Finals? Him dunking on Jaren Jackson in the third quarter of that game?
Remembering Vince Carter’s legendary 2000 slam dunk contest performance, which brought the event back to life and inspired generations of players after him to attempt physics-defying feats.
The hip-hop traditionalist’s “big bro” act, Julian Kimble writes, doesn’t hold up on his latest single.
Whether Jordan’s infamous political silence to Jay-Z’s social-justice missteps, we expect Black celebrities to be both endlessly knowledgeable and tirelessly dedicated — but that’s simply not realistic.
From ‘Boyz n the Hood,’ which he wrote and directed at age 22, through ‘Poetic Justice’ and ‘Higher Learning’ and beyond, the late filmmaker infused his stories with the richness and depth of black America
Franklin Saint knew the consequences of selling drugs were inevitable, but seeing who suffered as he burned the world around him still remains gutting a week after Snowfall's season finale.
January 24 For the rapper and producer known professionally as Earl Sweatshirt, self-awareness was once burdensome.
"It set the table for the whole movie, because the whole movie felt like that scene," Allen Hughes says of the harrowing opening to "Menace II Society," the 1993 film he co-directed with his twin brother, Albert.
Wu-Tang Clan's loose cannon would have a tight grip on our attention in the age of viral celebrity.
Everyone who went after Sean Taylor on the football field paid the price.
The Prince spiritual that closes BlacKkKlansman is the culmination of a long friendship and a shared commitment to defiance.
Don't underestimate Issa Rae because of her awkward manner - she knows exactly what she's doing. Last month, an hour after the second season premiere of HBO's Insecure, the star, writer, and executive producer of the Golden Globe-nominated show tweeted a picture of herself studying the episode's abundance of Twitter interactions.
Entertainment is politics. Look no further than this election cycle's dozens of presidential debates for evidence. Our entertainers and politicians possess the same traits and while Donald Trump is a glaring example, Drake is perhaps the superlative embodiment of this phenomenon.
A Different World's mission to distinguish itself from other sitcoms of its era went beyond its title.