Directed by Lee Daniels and written by Suzan-Lori Parks, The United States vs. Billie Holiday focuses on the final decade of the jazz singer’s life — specifically, 1947 to 1959. Based on a chapter of Johan Hari’s 2015 book, Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, the film focuses on Holiday’s battle with addiction, abuse, and harassment from the federal government. At the center of it all is a fierce performance from Andra Day, who breathes life into the late legend for her film debut.

At 21 years old, Fred Hampton’s life may have been cut short, but his legacy continues to live on. Directed by Shaka King, Judas and the Black Messiah is not only a film about the political killing of one of the movement’s most promising figures, but an exploration of the inner turmoil plaguing the man who set him up – and the mindset of many others like him.

Last Friday, PE released their 15th studio album, What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?. Their first on Def Jam since 1998, Chuck D, Flavor Flav, and DJ Lord provide commentary on the system, criticize the powers that be, and place a mirror in front of their listeners. Months after Flavor Flav was “fired” from the group, this project aims to reject our addiction to technology and challenge the masses to rely on independent thought rather than following the false narratives that the media creates.

On Top, YoungBoy encompasses what it means to survive in Baton Rouge’s urban neighborhoods. His violent, but introspective, lyrics tell the story of a young man entrenched in street life while also holding on to visions of a different, more positive way of living. With the threat of death or incarceration lurking around every corner, YoungBoy attempts to vocalize his aggression, but Top more often peaks in moments when he allows sadness and turmoil to permeate the proceedings.

With his third studio album, Nasty C hopes to elevate his status abroad as a lyricist and record producer and expand his global fan base. On Zulu Man with Some Power, Ngcobo elaborates on his growth as a man and all the experiences that have come with his newly acquired celebrity.

King’s Disease serves as a guideline for the young, Black male on how to survive on many levels. Having pride in who you are, loving and respecting your female companion, and protecting your peace are all lessons that African-American men should abide by in order to achieve emotional, mental and spiritual stability.

The visual representation of The Lion King: The Gift strives to inform, empower, and entertain through the connection of sights and sounds. Although it’s said to have been recorded before the recent months’ surge in protests, Black Is King comes at a moment where it’s most appropriate … and necessary. With themes of pride, legacy, and manhood, this film serves as a celebration of what it means to be Black, rather than a constant reminder of its sometimes-crippling burden.

Musicians come and they go, but every so often, the universe grants us a generational talent — someone with the potential to reset the status quo. Few artists are able to find that rare balance of critical and commercial success at any point in their career, especially their first effort. Whitney Houston’s 1985 self-titled debut album exceeded expectations and helped her reach immeasurable heights as a solo artist.

It’s hard to believe that hip-hop is only about 47 years old, give or take a year or two. So many memories, iconic figures, highs, lows … the genre brings about a wealth of emotion, regardless of one’s demographic. As hip-hop has grown, so has its sound, its reach, as well as its influence on popular culture. But during its infancy, the rapper and the DJ were the perfect marriage between two musicians of different crafts blending together to make a singular sound.

The indelible legacy of Mobb Deep’s 1995 album, The Infamous, will be that it helped shift the content of hip-hop back towards a more journalistic, documentary style of music. At the time, Black cinema was also following a similar trend. Screenwriters and directors such as John Singleton, Ernest Dickerson, and the Hughes brothers made it a point to change the narrative of how a large number of people had previously viewed African American films.

The East Coast Renaissance of the early-to-mid ’90s was an important time in hip-hop music. During this period, albums such as Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), Illmatic, and Ready to Die reset the standard not only for New York artists, but for the genre of rap itself. Hailing from the Queensbridge housing projects, Albert “Prodigy” Johnson and Kejuan “Havoc” Muchita released an underwhelming debut album in 1993, which subsequently led to them being dropped from their label about a year later. Pressure can either bust pipes or create a diamond, and in 1995, they opted for the latter.

Though primarily known as an actor, the 45-year-old British star has also been active on the music scene for well over a decade. A DJ whose main focus is hip-hop, the anthems of African-American love, pride and empowerment that blossomed in the ’70s were a clear influence as Elba hit the stage for his ESSENCE Fest debut on Saturday night.

Michael K. Williams has been cast in Ava Duvernay’s four-part Netflix drama series, Central Park Five. Williams will play Bobby McCray, the father of accused Antron McCray. The real-life teen is one of the five Harlem boys who was wrongfully convicted of raping a female jogger in Central Park in 1989 and later exonerated and awarded a $40 million settlement.

There are few things more signature to the city of New Orleans than that of the Bounce music genre. One of the genre’s biggest artists, and the one who spearheaded its mainstream popularization, is Big Freedia. The hometown favorite delivered a solid performance as she took to the ESSENCE Festival stage for the very first time on Sunday night.

Born in the uptown section of New Orleans, R&B crooner Lloyd gave his city the perfect homecoming celebration with his debut ESSENCE Festival performance in the Hot Right Now SuperLounge.

Believe it or not, there was a time in Hip-Hop when things where truly fun and care-free. After the untimely deaths of the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur, the genre seemed to be in a state of confusion and uncertainty. One of the artists that emerged when the smoke cleared was Bad Boy Records’ own, Ma$e.

Almost 7 years ago, PJ Morton decided to go full speed ahead in pursuing his solo career, and he hasn’t looked back since. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Grammy Award-winning entertainer was most appropriate to welcome the more than half a million people who traveled to the Crescent City for the 25th Anniversary of the Essence Festival.

Kansas City native Tech N9ne and his hometown draft company Boulevard Brewing have announced a collaboration on a new brew, which is inspired by his song “Caribou Lou.” The Bou Lou beer is scheduled to debut on June 15 at Boulevardia, an annual Kansas City street festival in the Stockyards District.

Later this year, Lil Wayne will celebrate the 10th anniversary of his chart-topping album Tha Carter III at the fourth annual Lil Weezyana Fest. The event is scheduled to take place on August 25 at Champions Square’s Bold Sphere Music in his hometown of New Orleans.

The traditional “mixtape” has been responsible for building the careers of many of hip-hop’s biggest stars. Since the turn of the century, artists like 50 Cent, Fabolous and Lil’ Wayne (just to name a few…) have all benefited tremendously from the mixtape circuit. Initially, these tapes were distributed by hand-to-hand transactions in the form of cassettes, which eventually led to CD’s, and ultimately MP3 streams & downloads.

In many of the school yards, barbershops and recreational parks across America, a common topic of conversation is: “Who are some of the greatest emcees, ever?” Some people mention 2pac, others may say The Notorious B.I.G., but my personal favorite has always been Nasir Olu Bin Dara Jones, but more widely known as Nas. The aforementioned artist burst on the rap scene in 1991 on Main Source’s “Live At The Barbecue”. At only 17 years old, Nas recited the lyrics of a seasoned veteran with wisdom far beyond his years.