RECENT ARTICLES

Kerry Washington, at times, resembles nobility more than she does entertainer. She’s regal, composed, confident. She glows. As such, Washington has enjoyed a marquee career with major roles in television and film, from her breakout on Scandal to directing an episode of Issa Rae’s Insecure to playing a character on The Simpsons. Washington also famously hit the silver screen in movies like Django Unchained, Ray and more.

Now, Washington is a podcaster. She hosts her own, Street You Grew Up On, and has recently partnered with Audible for a new scripted Audible Original series called, The Prophecy, which is set to drop on July 28. The eight-part series is written by Randy McKinnon and is produced by Audible, QCode, and Washington’s Simpson Street. The series, dubbed a “supernatural thriller” set against a backdrop of “natural disaster,” stars Washington as Dr. Virginia Edwards, Laurence Fishburne as Agent Thomas, as well as a handful of other skilled actors.

We caught up with Washington to ask her about her new undertaking, as well as topics ranging from her 2016 film, Confirmation, to how she keeps her sanity in this tumultuous political time.

Read More

Jessica Williams is, to put it simply, luminous. The comedian and actor can turn a supporting role into an enduring cultural touchpoint, which she did as the impossibly cool Miss Fine in 2019’s Booksmart; and a two-person comedy performance into a wildly popular podcast, which she did as a co-host (alongside Phoebe Robinson) of the show 2 Dope Queens. This year, Williams took on her biggest role yet, as the mysterious Mia Hines, a woman entangled in a romance with Marcus Watkins [played by William Jackson Harper], in the HBO Max romantic comedy series Love Life. Packed with moments sure to resonate with anyone navigating the dating world today, and studded with guest stars like Saturday Night Live’s Ego Nwodim, the show is an undeniable standout on HBO Max’s fall slate. Tonight, HBO Max will release Love Life’s final episodes, and fans of the series will find out if Hines and Watkins end up together. To mark the occasion, we caught up with Williams to discuss her lead role, her improv years at Los Angeles’ famed Upright Citizens Brigade, and the feeling of gliding through a good scene.

Read More

Tomorrow evening on September 9, the comedian and writer Neal Brennan will take the stage for the opening night of Unacceptable, his new performance series at New York City’s Cherry Lane Theatre. Brennan—who famously co-created the smash hit Chappelle’s Show alongside the show’s namesake—has spent recent years building a name for himself as an idiosyncratic solo presence in the comedy circuit. In his 2017 Netflix comedy special 3 Mics, Brennan used three microphones— one for one-liners, one for traditional stand-up and one for emotional childhood anecdotes—to deconstruct his set into its component parts before the audience’s eyes.

Unacceptable, which runs through the end of November (tickets go on sale the 9th), is directed by the magician and writer Derek DelGaudio, whose critically-acclaimed Hulu special, 2020’s In & Of Itself, put the slight of hand artist on the map. Together, Brennan and DelGaudio have crafted a genre-bending show focused as much on fun and laughter as it is on intimacy and honesty. Below, we caught up with Brennan and DelGaudio to learn more about the making of Unacceptable.

Read More

When two powerful people get together to talk politics, there is often great potential for insight—even for change. Such is the case when the United States Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal hopped on the phone with the beloved television host, writer, and activist Padma Lakshmi. Jayapal, who represents the state of Washington’s 7th congressional district, wears many hats, but her work has focused largely on immigration reform and, of late, a $15 federal minimum wage. The progressive Congresswoman also made headlines when she spoke about her experience in the Capitol Building during the January 6th insurrection, after which she contracted COVID-19—a result of holding up in the chamber with several maskless U.S. officials.

As the longtime host of Bravo’s Top Chef, and more recently, her Hulu show Taste the Nation, Lakshmi has made a name bridging the topics of food, identity, and politics. The author of Tangy Tart Hot and Sweet, Lakshmi is even more passionate about socio-political reform and immigrants’ rights than she is about the history of the tortilla—though she could talk at length about those, too. So when she had the opportunity to speak with Jayapal at a critical moment for the future of the country, Lakshmi—whose family hails from Jayapal’s native Chennai, India—made sure to give us plenty of food for thought.

Read More

Together, the twin brothers Kenny and Keith Lucas have come a long way. Born in Newark, New Jersey, the 35-year-old Lucas Brothers, as they are affectionately known, studied philosophy in college before enrolling in law school (Keith at Duke, Kenny at NYU). Before graduating, though, they both dropped out of their degree programs and took up stand-up comedy, often performing side-by-side, finishing each other’s sentences with dry wit.

Since those early days, the Lucas Brothers have earned spots at top comedy festivals, created a cartoon for FX (Lucas Bros. Moving Co.), acted in shows like Lady Dynamite, and, most recently, written the screenplay for the much-anticipated Fred Hampton biopic, Judas and the Black Messiah, starring LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya. We caught up with the Lucas Brothers to ask them about the film, what philosophical dilemmas they may have had to unpack while doing so, what it’s like to work with your twin.

Read More

Many fans of the burgeoning culinary scene fell in love with Chef Carla Hall when she appeared on Bravo’s Top Chef, first in Season 5 and then later during the Season 8 “all-star” challenge. In a business dominated by obsessive, cutthroat behavior, Chef Carla stood out for her kindness and her philosophy of “cooking with love.” Since then, she has appeared on numerous other cooking shows like The Chew, written several cookbooks, and spread her positive spirit throughout the world of food. Though she’s known for her soul food and love of biscuits, for Chef Carla, food is about so much more than any single style or genre; it’s about nurturing the spirit, and the spirit of others. She believes that the emotions she’s feeling as she makes a particular dish infuse the food itself. In that way, to be negative while on the job is to offer a disservice to the diner. What a thought!

Chef Carla recently launched a new podcast, Say Yes! with Carla Hall, which features a wide range of guests, from master chefs like Rachael Ray to the comedian Chelsea Handler and the ballet dancer Misty Copeland. Hall will also be part of the Taste of the NFL program during this year’s Super Bowl weekend, a live-streamed event that raises funds for national hunger relief. We caught up with Hall to ask her about her love of food, what it’s like to see Vice President Kamala Harris take office, and much more.

Read More

When considering the great emcees throughout history, there may not be two as close as Public Enemy’s Chuck D and Cypress Hill’s B-Real. But on the mic, the two couldn’t sound more different. Chuck D is known for his deep, echoing bass, while B-Real raps in a high-pitched, nasal tone. But both voices are powerful and both have subsisted through decades of shifting fads in hip-hop. In 2016, Chuck D and B-Real, along with Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, put together the supergroup, Prophets of Rage, which spread ideas of revolt and empowerment through song, before splitting up in 2019. More recently, Chuck and B collaborated on the new Public Enemy track, “GRID,” from the group’s 2020 LP, What You Gonna Do when the Grid Goes Down? We caught up with the legendary emcees to talk about what it’s been like to work together, their generation of rappers versus the current one, their celebrity status, and more.

Read More

Atsuko Okatsuka has survived an earthquake. Actually, the L.A.-based comedian thrived in one, and she’s got a viral clip to prove it. Okatsuka, who moved to the United States when she was young with her grandmother, has weathered several storms: living undocumented for seven years, growing up with a schizophrenic mother, and being called “Stacey” by classmates and teachers. But, in her own brilliant way, Okatsuka has been able to sublimate all that into quirky bursts of comedy as host of the popular Let’s Go Atsuko! podcast. On Twitter, Okatsuka lambasts the soon-to-be-former president and dances with her grandma. We caught up with the comedian for a quick whirl through her roller coaster life.

Read More

You may know Jemele Hill from her many years on ESPN, both critiquing jump shots and covering Colin Kaepernickkneeling during the National Anthem. You may know her for her outspoken critiques of Donald Trump on Twitterfor her 1.3 million followers. You may also know her from her work in The Atlantic, where she writes mostly about sports, power, and Black lives, or her podcast, Jemele Hill is Unbothered. And now, she’s hosting a weekly TV showfor Vice TV alongside her fellow ESPN alum Cari Champion. The point is, Hill is everywhere, often talking about things before some are ready to hear them. So it only made sense to talk to her about what where we’re at, and where we’re going.

Read More

With one look or one listen, it’s clear: H.E.R. is quite possibly the coolest artist in music. The singer-songwriter, born Gabriella Wilson, sings smoothly, writes thoughtfully, and when she picks up a guitar, slices open imaginations with each fuzzy, bending riff. At age 23, H.E.R., who recently launched her own signature line of Fender Stratocaster Guitars, has already entered a stage of global fame. After all, she’s used to this; she signed to RCA Records at 14, and has already been nominated for a handful of Grammys, winning Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Album. Ahead of her turn as this week’s musical guest on Saturday Night Live, hosted by Adele, we caught up with the artist to ask her about the music that has shaped her, from To Pimp A Butterfly to the Proud Family theme song.

Read More

On June 3rd, the rap duo Run The Jewels released the album of the year. The record, RTJ4, may or may not win the awards it’s due, but that’s really besides the point. The 11-track album, which features guests like Mavis Staples and Zach de la Rocha, touches on police brutality, friendship, and the American experiment. It became an anthem in the tragic wake of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, much in the same way that Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly became the nation’s rallying cry in 2015. On October 17, the duo, comprised of Killer Mike (born Michael Santiago Render) and El-P (Jaime Meline), will perform the songs from RTJ4 in a previously recorded show airing on Adult Swim titled Holy Calamavote: Make Yourself Heard. Hosted by Eric Andreand sponsored by Ben & Jerry’s, the show aims to encourage voter turnout in the upcoming November election. We caught up with Killer Mike and El-P to talk about getting out the vote, their love of music, and the future of joy.

Read More

Patti Smith needs no introduction. Seriously. The iconic American musician, poet, and photographer has a new, in-depth music project—a result of her years-long collaboration with the experimental New York City-based Soundwalk Collective to create a triumvirate of records rooted in the poetry of some of the world’s most renowned authors. The three records—2019’s The Peyote Dance, based on the work of Antonin Artaud with a guest spot from actor Gael García Bernal, and Mummer Love, from Arthur Rimbaud; along with 2020’s Peradam, which lifts words from René Daumal—feature Smith improvising, reciting, and chanting amidst mesmerizing music, often based on field recordings taken from around the world. Smith, who still harbors a slight (and endearing) South Jersey accent, has been quarantined in New York City since March, and she’s going a little stir crazy. Nevertheless, she’s as wise, thoughtful and learned in conversation as ever. We caught up with Smith to ask her about her three records, our three pandemics, and everyone’s favorite trio of talking fast food cartoons. (Why not?)

Read More

Tariq Trotter—better known as Black Thought, the poetic frontman and emcee of the legendary hip-hop group The Roots—has been in the music game thriving for a few decades now. Whether you want to start the clock from when The Roots released their first record, Organix, in 1993, or even earlier, when the fledgling rapper was absorbing the craft in Philadelphia parks and basement parties in the early ’80s, the emcee is both a veteran and an ambassador of hip-hop. We caught up with Black Thought, who will release his latest solo record, Streams of Thought, Vol. 3, in September, to ask him about his early days in music, his bond with his longtime drummer and collaborator Questlove, and how to survive the news cycle when you’re floating around it.

Read More

Watching comedian Hannibal Buress’s latest special, Miami Nights, which he released on YouTube a few weeks ago, one notices new subtleties in the comedian’s practice. Buress has that glint in his eye, like the comedy greats. In conversation, it’s there too; he remains curious and inquisitive. He wants to know more, and not just the tricks of his own trade. Buress is diving into tech and music, which is likely he wanted to join his friend, the producer Steven Ellison (Flying Lotus), here. Ellison, who’s worked with Adult Swim for years creating bumps and beats for the TV channel, is a keen thinker and detail-oriented musician who has risen to fame with his surreal sense of sound. We caught up with both Buress and Ellison to talk about making Miami Nights, Buress’s new foray into songwriting, Ellison’s experience working with Dr. Dre, and more.

Read More

New Orleans bounce rapper Big Freedia (born Freddie Ross) has a gripping voice that belongs in a museum. Whether she’s adding a booming bit of spice to Beyoncé’s “Formation” or dueting with Lizzo on “Karaoke,” Big Freedia is prominent and powerful, and rose the ranks of New Orleans rowdy bounce scene performing her signature hypnotic, repetitious style of rap. That sound can be heard on her latest EP, Louder, which was released just before much of the country ground to a halt. The sudden stasis left Freedia in a weird limbo, unable to perform songs that were designed specifically to make crowds turn up. But when we caught up with her on Juneteenth, Big Freedia’s unshakeable spirit showed no signs of damage.

Read More