• D'Angelo 'SNL' Performance: R&B Legend Honors Mike Brown, Eric Garner [WATCH]

    Fans have waited on a new D'Angelo album for more than a decade, and he finally returned to the mainstream with "Black Messiah" at the end of 2014. Despite the lengthy wait, several reports indicated that he rushed the album out in order to provide as swift a response as possible in the aftermath of the "Black Lives Matter" protests spurred by the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. During the second song of his Saturday Night Live performance this weekend, the R&B legend rocked a hoodie in memory of Trayvon Martin while his band The Vanguard sported shirts reading "I CAN'T BREATHE" and "BLACK LIVES MATTER."

  • Killer Mike Pens Op-Ed for Martin Luther King Jr., Encouraging People to Be 'Revolutionaries'

    Musicians and celebrities are often in a unique position to share their personal views on politics, race, sexual orientation and any other social issues of their time period. The ones who resonate with the public, though, are the artists who share their ideals within and outside their craft. Killer Mike of Run the Jewels has been on a mission as of late, penning opinion pieces for publications about his feelings toward race relations following the unfortunate deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island. His post yesterday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day might have been his finest.

  • Eric Garner's Staten Island Memorial Burned Down on MLK Day

    Last night, Jan. 19, a fire on Staten Island destroyed the makeshift tribute that was created for Eric Garner. His chokehold death attracted national attention and, when the police officer responsible was not indicted, it led to protests, tributes and commentary from across the country. Late last night, Garner's daughter Erica Garner began tweeting about the "evil" that had taken place at her father's memorial. It is obvious that the passing months have not eased the emotional upset his family has been through.

  • Kendrick Lamar Drops Guest Verse on Jonathan Emile's 'Heaven Help Dem' [LISTEN]

    Canadian rapper Jonathan Emile has shared a politically charged new track titled "Heaven Help Dem," featuring a guest appearance by Kendrick Lamar, which you can check out below. The track finds Emile and Lamar rapping about the overwhelming violence against black men in the United States, with Lamar opening his verse with recollections of his own horrifying experiences: "The average black man only live to 25/Pac died at 25/How many kids you know dead at 20? 5?/ Nah, that's light/I know 10 that's crumblin' in coffins." It's powerful stuff, accompanied by a video featuring images of Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Eric Garner, and many others.

  • NYPD Unhappy With Commissioner Bill Bratton for His Support of Mayor Bill de Blasio

    NYC Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has one of the hardest jobs in the world right now, trying to bridge the deep divide between the NYPD and Mayor Bill de Blasio's City Hall. Things were a little bit tense even before de Blasio seemed to show support for the hundreds of protestors walking through various parts of the city in support of Ferguson and Eric Garner. The fact that he allowed it, making the NYPD's job even harder didn't sit well with the department and then when two Brooklyn officers were assassinated in retaliation, well it turned uglier yet. Bratton has tried to bring both sides together but now it seems that his attempts are beginning to backfire.

  • Hundreds of NYPD Officers Turn Their Backs on Mayor de Blasio at Rafael Ramos' Funeral

    The funeral for NYPD Officer Rafael Ramos at Christ Tabernacle Church in Queens was one of the more somber scenes in the city in recent months. Ramos and his partner, Officer Wenjian Liu, were assassinated while sitting in their patrol car eating lunch last week in Brooklyn. It was an act carried out in retaliation for the chokehold death of Eric Garner and the shooting of Ferguson teen Michael Brown last summer, and it has only deepened the divide that exists in the city. Mayor Bill de Blasio has tried in recent days to extend an olive branch to the NYPD, but it was glaringly apparent today that as a whole, the department isn't having it.

  • Wu-Tang Clan's RZA Speaks Out on Eric Garner Case, Says It's a Power Issue, Not Race Issue

    Wu-Tang Clan released their sixth studio album, A Better Tomorrow, earlier this month. A political video for the title track followed, showing scenes of protests from the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases. RZA spoke with Gawker recently, advocating the indictment of every police officer involved in the Garner incident, which occurred in the rapper's native Staten Island.

  • NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton Doesn't Feel Mayor de Blasio Has 'Blood' on His Hands

    New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton have worked hard today to prove to the media and general public that they are committed to repairing the deep divide in the city. Early this morning, Bratton did an interview with "Today" that seemed to try and lead the way in smoothing over tensions between his officers and those on the job at City Hall. It has been widely reported that many officers do not feel that de Blasio has had their backs thanks to recent statements he has made. While Bratton understood how some officers are feeling, he also believes de Blasio has nothing to apologize for. Bratton also went on the record to say he believes it was wrong of officers to have turned their backs purposely on de Blasio before he gave a news conference about the deaths of two Brooklyn officers Saturday, Dec. 20. Some officers have reportedly felt that de Blasio has complicated their job by allowing protestors of the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown to freely roam city streets. Bratton challenged the notion that de Blasio has turned his back on the Police Department by reminding everyone that he has granted more than $400 million outside the normal budget to bolster the NYPD.

  • NYPD Claims Mayor de Blasio Has Blood of 2 Slain B'klyn Cops on His Hands

    Did New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio lay the groundwork for violence against police officers by seeming to side with protestors who have been upset over the lack of an indictment in the death of Eric Garner? That appears to be the official position of the NYPD, which is now grieving what it is calling the "assassination" of two police officers reportedly sitting in their patrol car eating lunch yesterday. Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos likely did not see Ismaayil Brinsley walk up beside the passenger side front window and take aim. Brinsley's deadly actions were intended to be a retaliation for the deaths of Garner and Michael Brown at the hands of police officers who were never charged, not even with a misdemeanor. While de Blasio spoke out against the violence condemning the murders, members of the NYPD turned their backs on him when he walked into the room to give an official press conference on yesterday's crime. It seems the NYPD feels that the mayor has been unsupportive and not aligned himself with them while the city has been in a state of upheaval and racial tensions are intensifying. The police feel so much like City Hall has abandoned them that officers actually have been signing a petition that would ban de Blasio from attending their funerals should they die in the line of duty.

  • Fox News Disses Jay-Z; Jon Stewart, 'Daily Show' Defend Hova [WATCH]

    Fox News committed a big foul when it dissed Jay-Z recently and brought up the rapper's past as a drug dealer. Sean Hannity took issue with Hova's inclusion in a meeting with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to discuss justice system issues in the wake of the Eric Garner decision. Jon Stewart and members of "The Daily Show," as usual, did not understand the reasoning and decided to fire some satirical shots at the news organization, "Consequence of Sound" notes. Hannity shortened Jay-Z's entire résumé to being "a guy who sold crack, was a drug dealer and actually shot somebody," citing an excerpt from the rapper's book. Hova left that lifestyle long ago, as pretty much everyone in America knows, but that was not enough for Fox News. "Daily Show" correspondent Jessica Williams explains it perfectly in the clip below. "Hova has done quite a few other things since his dealing days. You would think that'd impress people on Fox, because we all know how much they like to preach to black folks about responsibility, self-improvement and what's wrong with the black community," she says.

  • Jeanine Pirro of Fox News Claims 'Minority Communities' Need to Be More Sensitive Toward Police

    Fox News often finds itself under fire for the stance that the network appears to take on hot-button issues, and right now nothing is more volatile than the tension between police and their handling of the black community. Last night, Jeanine Pirro decided to ask for viewer feedback on whether or not police should be more careful in the way they deal with incidences occurring in black communities and the response was quite unified. In between people stating the obvious — that if you are not breaking the law then you are less likely to find yourself tangled in any sort of altercation — there was also the thinking that communities need to be more mindful of the police. Pirro backed up that notion and, interestingly enough, it Is a sentiment that even New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has echoed. Basically, the thinking is that there is a rift, and in order to fix it both sides need to take steps toward meeting in the middle. He also admitted last week, shortly after it was announced that NYPD Officer Daniel Pantaleo would not be indicted in the chokehold death of Eric Garner, that his own biracial son has been directed on how to carry himself if he should be stopped by a police officer.

  • John Legend, Chrissy Teigen Hired Food Trucks for Eric Garner Protests

    Many artists have taken to social media to express their outrage at the decisions by two juries in Ferguson, Missouri, and New York City to not indict two police officers in the killings of two unarmed black men: Michael Brown and Eric Garner. Some have written or repurposed songs to protest the current state of affairs in the United States between the African-American community and the police. Even a few have gone out and joined the protests themselves, like J Cole and Macklemore. But John Legend and his wife, model Chrissy Teigen, have decided to use his resources to put their money where their mouths are and fund the protests taking place in New York City, via "Billboard." In an idealistic world, protestors could subsist on camaraderie and high hopes. But in the real world, they must be given food and water in addition to any other materials that may fend off police countermeasures like an LRAD or tear gas. The couple decided to hire food trucks to head down to Union Square to give out free food before protestors headed out on their march for the night.
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