theGrio

TheGrio's 100: Will.i.am, musician and political force

10:00 AM on 02/09/2010

TheGrio's 100 - The co-founder and frontman of the Grammy-winning Black Eyed Peas, raised in Los Angeles in a family with a largely absent father...

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TheGrio's 100: Gina Prince-Bythewood, moving others through films

By Michael E. Ross

5:00 AM on 02/09/2010

TheGrio's 100 - Without having neatly-packaged shows ready-made in front of her, as a child, Gina Prince-Bythewood developed an appreciation for literature, reading voraciously...

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TheGrio's 100: Drake, Mixtape master turned rap superstar

By Michael E. Ross

5:00 AM on 02/07/2010

TheGrio's 100 - Drake personifies the DIY creative experience...

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Questlove explains what 'Soul Train' means for black Americans

By Alex Presha

5:13 PM on 02/05/2010

It began 40 years ago. Countless music legends graced its stage. Millions of viewers tuned in. Now, Questlove of the "The Roots" has teamed up...

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TheGrio's 100: Darius Rucker, chart-topper breaking country music's color barrier

By Michael E. Ross

10:00 AM on 02/01/2010

TheGrio's 100 - Years from now, musical historians are likely to look back on 2009 as a year when Darius Rucker made history...

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TheGrio Reflects: An interview with Chuck Berry

By theGrio

7:01 AM on 02/01/2010

VIDEO - If you were alive - and owned a radio - in the 50s and 60s, then you know about Chuck Berry...

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TheGrio's 100: Beyoncé Knowles, American icon for generations to come

By Michael E. Ross

5:01 AM on 02/01/2010

TheGrio's 100 - Groomed for a life onstage, she made her breakthrough inch by inch in talent shows and contests in her native Texas...

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TheGrio's 100: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Hollywood's next leading man

By Michael E. Ross

5:00 AM on 02/01/2010

TheGrio's 100 - Chiwetel Ejiofor is shaking up Hollywood. The breadth of his range and possibilities as an actor demonstrates a major shift ...

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TheGrio's 100: Mary J. Blige, no more drama, just the music

By Michael E. Ross

5:00 AM on 02/01/2010

TheGrio's 100 - Has it really been almost 18 years since What's the 411...

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TheGrio's 100: Shonda Rhimes, Grey's Anatomy mastermind

By Michael E. Ross

5:00 AM on 02/01/2010

TheGrio's 100 - She describes herself as a "writer, mother, sleeper, dancer, baker, procrastinator," but Shonda Rhimes also keeps us glued to the TV, hearts racing...

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Remembering my friend Michael Jackson

By Al Bell

1:00 PM on 08/29/2009

OPINION -- The last time I met with Michael, we saw each other from across the room and he made a point of coming over to say "hello." Instead of greeting me

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Martha's Vineyard is rooted in black history

By Roland Laird

2:22 PM on 08/22/2009

OPINION - While on the Vineyard, you're just as likely to bump into a New York City office security guard as you are Spike Lee, and more importantly you'd probably have a friendly conversation with both of them...

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Pioneer black model, Naomi Sims, dies at 61

By theGrio via AP

2:24 PM on 08/04/2009

Naomi Sims, the first black fashion model to appear on the cover of Ladies' Home Journal, has died. She was 61...

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RTP TheGrio reflects: Actress Hattie McDaniel gets final wish

By theGrio

4:25 PM on 02/02/2009

THEGRIO REFLECTS - Hollywood granted a long-delayed wish to Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win an Oscar.

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Death of Marian Anderson

By theGrio

4:20 PM on 02/02/2009

Marian Anderson died at the age of 96 in Portland, Oregon. The greatest singer of her day, she wanted to rent Constitution Hall for a concert, but the Daughters of the American Revolution refused. Eleanor Roosevelt arranged a concert at the Lincoln Memorial and seventy-five thousand came....

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Singer Aretha Franklin receives National Arts Medal

By theGrio

4:14 PM on 02/02/2009

On September 29, 1999 President William Jefferson Clinton honored singer Aretha Franklin for her great talent. Aretha Franklin was born to Reverend C.L. Franklin and Barbara Siggers Franklin in Memphis, Tennessee. In his speech, President Clinton said, "No matter where she has traveled, she has never left behind the sound...

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The impact of 'The Cosby Show' on society

By theGrio

4:07 PM on 02/02/2009

A study was conducted by two communications professors at the University of Massachusetts, Sut Jhally and Justin Lewis. The professors wanted to ascertain the impact of "The Cosby Show" on its audience. Professor Lewis stated, "I guess there's good news and bad news for 'The Cosby Show.' The good news...

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Celebrating pianist and composer Eubie Blake

By theGrio

3:55 PM on 02/02/2009

On February 7th, 1883, James Hubert "Eubie" Blake, pianist and composer, was born in Maryland the son of freed slaves. To put Eubie's longevity in perspective he was about half the age of the United States; he lived through 19 of our 40 presidents; when he was born there were...

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