When Lezley McSpadden-Head held her first Rainbow of Mothers Gala just after the first anniversary of her son Michael Brown’s death, Ron Johnson was there in uniform as a captain in the Missouri Highway Patrol working security detail for the event. As he watched the mothers, most of whom had…

Jada Pinkett Smith wanted her husband Will Smith to star in 'Matrix' but he didn't see the vision like she did.

On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the death of Michael Brown, guests gathered at Greater St. Mark Church. The sanctuary was a protestor safe haven as well as a site for planning and programming during the months of unrest that came in response to his death.

Chris Brown will no longer face charges for allegedly punching a photographer during a 2017 club appearance as the case has been dropped due to a lack of evidence.

Aretha Franklin's estate is helping to fund new research into pancreatic cancer, one year after the singer's death from the disease.

Rihanna has registered a new song, 'Private Loving', which she co-wrote with reggae artist Demarco.

Linda Alton Randall Kennedy, a staple of the St. Louis theater scene for more than four decades, passed away this morning (Friday, August 16) after a battle with cancer.

Gary Clark Jr. has the voice of an R&B heartthrob, the guitar riffs of a rock god and a heart for the blues. He managed to tap into all of his aforementioned traits when he played his first theater scaled show for St. Louis audiences Monday night at The Fabulous Fox.

Orlando Watson and Tony “T-Luv” Davis want to make one thing clear about the new restaurant they partnered to open in the Delmar Loop. Prime 55 is not a steak house.

StarFire Productions Introducing Urban Style Dinner Theatre will present its 18th production and 9th season with a production of “Not My Sons.” Audiences will have two opportunities to catch the show on Saturday, August 17 (3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.) at the Empowerment Center @ The Center For …

The UrbArts Organization’s youth poetry slam team won first place at the 2019 Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival last month in Las Vegas. The win marks the first time that a youth poetry slam team representing St. Louis has been crowned champion of the international po…

(St. Louis Public Radio) - Tonina Saputo is among the rising names in the local music scene, but her reach is far and wide. The St. Louis-raised musician has made the world her stage, performing throughout Europe and singing in both English and Spanish. Former President Barack Obama is a fan…

“By sharing those images and stories of people who have passed, we are celebrating our ancestors and introducing them to new people,” Thomas Allen Harris told a St. Louis audience in 2014 during a presentation of his Digital Diaspora Family Reunion Roadshow.

“I was about 19 years old and I remember hearing a group of young women talk so badly about their bodies,” said Ebbi Nicole. “They all wanted to be someone different. Someone thinner. Someone taller. Someone lighter. Someone with straighter hair. I remember thinking, ‘This is a real problem.…

When Tef Poe headed to Ferguson five years ago, he went in the capacity of concerned son Kareem Jackson.

Black culture lost a monumental giant with the passing of Nobel laureate Toni Morrison, who died after a brief illness on Monday, August 5. She was 88.

Veteran R&B group Boyz II Men will play at the Fabulous Fox Theatre on Friday, September 27 at 8 p.m.

Wiz Khalifa made his way back to Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre Thursday night for his Decent Exposure Tour featuring fellow Taylor Gang member Chevy Woods as well as DJ Drama, Moneybagg Yo and French Montana. Khalifa has been to St. Louis several times since he burst on the scene. And seems …

“Illmatic” and “My Life.” Both albums were game changers – classics in their own right – when they dropped 25 years ago.

Just before the conversations came about that ultimately brought 95.5 The Lou midday personality Isis M. Jones back to town, she felt the universe at work.

As he gears up for the 19th Annual Community Cuts for Kids in East St. Louis and St. Louis next week, Craig Shields admitted that this year was one of the toughest to power through.

Diana Ross did not miss a beat or a note – or waste a single moment when she took the stage for her Songbook Tour at the Fox Thursday night. The showtime on the ticket read 8 p.m. By 8:01 p.m. Diana Ross had already hit the stage and was into the first lines of “I’m Coming Out.”

“I’m always trying to pick work that speaks to issues that are relevant to the community,” said Ron Himes, founder and producing director of The St. Louis Black Repertory Company. “And over the past few years there has been nothing more relevant or more pertinent that Ferguson in St. Louis, …

It was surprising to watch students rein in their excitement during the summer program, listen and follow instructions, work together, and focus to complete a work of art.

(NNPA) - “I am here using my celebrity, using my voice, to put a face to this, because I also suffer from depression and anxiety. If you’re a human living in today’s world, I don’t know how you’re not suffering in any way.”

“Earth, Wind and Fire puts on a show!” That was the general consensus as fans made their exit from the Stifel Theatre Sunday night – and it was correct. The legendary band that bends inspirational, funk, soul, R&B, disco and pop is no stranger to St. Louis. In fact, their visits are so r…

Disney’s remake of the 1994 animatic classic “The Lion King” was ruler of the box office on its opening weekend.

(St. Louis Public Radio) - Five years after a white Ferguson police officer shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, a black man, there is no permanent, local display of the art sparked by the protests. 

“I feel incredibly fortunate to be stepping into the rep in this moment, because it has had such magnificent stewardship with Steve Woolf and Mark (The Rep’s Managing Director Mark Bernstein),” said Hana S. Sharif, the newly appointed Augustin Family Artistic Director for The Repertory Theat…

With the 1994 release of “The Lion King,” came the pinnacle of what is commonly referred to as the Disney Renaissance. In the 1990s, the legendary studio most famous for its animated classics, connected with a new generation through a handful of animated features that seemingly for the first…

Urban radio pioneer and syndicated morning show personality Tom Joyner sent shockwaves across the airwaves two years ago when he announced that he would be stepping down from his long-running syndicated morning show.

Tali Allen, a 20-year veteran of the arts, has been appointed as Director of Education for The Muny.

Singer R. Kelly was arrested and taken into custody Thursday night on federal sex charges. According to CNN, he is charged with sex trafficking and attempting to influence a case in Atlanta, and was arrested while walking his dog, a source with knowledge of the arrest said.

Local filmmaker Jon Alexander pulled off the impressive feat of showcasing the beauty and variety of St. Louis terrain and the music scene at the same time with his short film, “Nature of Sound.”

Toni Morrison learned the power of words before she understood how to write and combine them in sentences. With an understanding of that power and the intention to reflect an underrepresented perspective within fiction, she would later successfully set about changing the landscape of America…

Terrell Carter’s latest book “Police on a Pedestal: Responsible Policing in a Culture of Worship” begins with the African proverb, “Until the lion learns how to write, every story will glorify the hunter.” From there, his book outlines the idea that storytelling is the foundation for the cur…

Do your kids have a serious case of summer slump? The Missouri History Museum has the cure. The Summer Family Fun series offers a wide variety of free programs inspired by local cultures and themes in the Museum’s exhibits.

“These are true Keith Sweat fans,” KMOV-TV anchor Courtney Bryant said. “The rain has started, but nobody has moved.” She tried to shield herself from the drizzle as she and BJ The DJ of Majic 103.7 FM introduced the headlining musical act for the Friday night Fair Saint Louis concert on July 5.

(BlackPressUSA) – According to USA Today, members of Ebony magazine’s digital team say they’ve been fired and haven’t received their final paychecks in the latest controversy to hit the struggling publication that has chronicled black life in America for decades.

Halle Bailey, singer and actress who rose to fame with her sister as part of the R&B duo Chloe x Halle, has been chosen for the starring role in Disney's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. She will play the role of Ariel.

Local jazz legends The Bosman Twins will be among the trio of artists performing at Breakaway Productions Jazz Triple Play on Saturday, July 6 at the Grandel Square Theatre in Grand Center.

When she’s not on stage, Uvee Hayes has the most unassuming presence. She spends much more time listening than talking, Her speaking voice barely registers above a whisper. What gives her away as a performer is her eyes. She gives her undivided attention and engages in a manner that forms a …

Wesley Bell, the first African American to serve as St. Louis County prosecutor, vividly remembered two books that transformed his relationship with reading when delivering the keynote address at Books N Bros’ sold-out inaugural Black Excellence in Literacy Gala Sunday night at Innovation Hall.

Chico Bean, DC Young Fly and Karlous Miller have taken the off the cuff improvisation skills they honed on “Nick Cannon’s Wild ‘N Out” and applied them to their own brand of comedy by way of the 85 South Show.

With his world premiere “Fire Shut Up In My Bones,” Terence Blanchard breaks new ground with the depiction of blackness he brings to the opera stage.

“We started this with the goal of trying to give people something different that your typical club experience,” said Nichol Stevenson, Café Soul co-founder and House of Soul CEO.

With his world premiere “Fire Shut Up In My Bones,” Terence Blanchard breaks new ground with the depiction of blackness he brings to the opera stage.

“The Last Black Man in San Francisco” should be required viewing material for those in search of context for the generational effects of systemic racism, drugs, poverty gentrification and toxic masculinity within the black community.

It had been a long time since stage and music star Stephanie Mills brought her show to St. Louis. She proved worth the wait from the start with her up-tempo 1980s hit, “Never Knew Love Like This.”

“This is the show. I hope you like it. That’s about all that I have to say,” St. Louis native Oliver Lee Jackson told the crowd in April during the press conference for the opening of “Oliver Lee Jackson: Recent Paintings” at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.