Author: Shekari Philemon

JAY-Z has never been a man who rushes to defend himself publicly, which is part of what makes his recent comments about J. Cole feel significant. In a candid interview, the Roc Nation co-founder addressed a narrative that has followed him for years, the idea that Cole was somehow underserved or undervalued during his time at the label. JAY-Z’s response was not defensive so much as clarifying. The distance, he suggested, was never neglect. It was a deliberate form of respect. Cole signed to Roc Nation as its first artist in 2009, a moment that felt like a genuine statement…

Every mother brings her own distinct approach to love and care, but certain patterns tend to emerge among women born in particular months of the year. Birth month can shape temperament, emotional instincts and the natural ways a person expresses care for others. While remarkable mothers exist across every month of the calendar, four birth months consistently stand out in astrological readings for the depth of warmth, loyalty and emotional presence they tend to produce. February Women born in February tend to lead with empathy before anything else. Their instinct is to listen first, to absorb what someone else is…

Cleaning out a family home is rarely just a physical task. The boxes in the attic and the furniture in the back bedroom carry weight that goes well beyond their material value. Some of what gets donated in those moments is genuinely replaceable. Some of it is not, and knowing the difference can save a family from losing something irretrievable. These 12 categories of heirlooms are worth keeping, along with practical guidance on how to store, display and use them. 1. Handwritten letters and journals Personal correspondence and diaries offer a direct line into the inner lives of ancestors in…

Joe Rogan used a recent episode of his podcast to make a claim that is likely to generate pushback from both sides of the immigration debate. Sitting down with Bill Thompson, a former Chief Warrant Officer in the United States Army, Rogan argued that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton each took harder stances on immigration enforcement than Donald Trump has, despite Trump’s reputation as the defining political figure of the border crackdown era. The conversation drew on a specific moment from Clinton’s 2007 presidential campaign, in which she laid out a position that included deportation for anyone convicted of a…

The Devil Wears Prada 2 arrives in theaters on May 1, and the cultural machinery around it is already running at full speed. Twenty years after the original film became a defining cultural touchstone, the reunion of Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt has generated the kind of anticipation that brands rarely ignore. Coca-Cola is the latest to lean in, and it is doing so with three flavors that will not be available anywhere else. Starting March 27, Coca-Cola Freestyle machines exclusively inside AMC theaters will carry three limited-edition lime cherry sodas created specifically for the film’s…

Liza Morales thought she knew how her story with Lamar Odom would end. They had been together since high school, shared two children, mourned the loss of a third and had even been engaged. For years, marriage felt like an inevitability. Then one phone call changed that entirely. In August 2009, Odom met Khloé Kardashian. Within 30 days of meeting her, and just nine days after getting engaged, he was married. Morales found out through a text message followed by a brief call from Odom himself informing her of the news. Then, almost instantly, it was everywhere. The wedding was…

Chloe Bailey is stepping into her most compelling role yet. The singer and actress leads Strung, a psychological thriller produced by Tyler Perry and Blumhouse Productions that is set to make its world premiere at the 30th American Black Film Festival before heading to Peacock on June 26. Bailey plays a gifted violinist who accepts what appears to be a promising opportunity tutoring a wealthy and enigmatic family. The situation unravels quickly, pulling her character into a suffocating struggle for control and survival that drives the film’s tension from start to finish. It is a sharp pivot from anything Bailey…

President Donald Trump is set to become the first sitting president in American history to have his signature printed on United States banknotes. The Treasury Department announced the decision this week, framing it as a tribute to the country’s 250th anniversary and describing it as one of the most powerful ways to honor both the nation’s legacy and the current administration. Trump’s signature will appear alongside that of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the new bills, departing from a tradition that has been in place since 1861. For more than 160 years, American currency has carried only the signatures of…

Nicki Minaj has spent her career making shrewdly timed moves. She aligned herself with the right collaborators at the right moments, cultivated one of the most loyal fan bases in popular music and read the cultural current with the precision of someone who understood that timing in pop music is everything. That track record makes her recent political turn all the more striking, because by almost any measure, the timing could not be worse. Since late 2024, Minaj has positioned herself as a prominent supporter of conservative causes, amplifying right-wing talking points on social media, endorsing contested legislation, adopting the…

Usher is facing significant public criticism after speaking favorably about Sean “Diddy” Combs in a recent interview. Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, is currently serving a 50-month federal prison sentence following his July 2025 conviction on two federal prostitution-related charges. The remarks have sparked widespread debate about loyalty, accountability and what it means to separate a person’s legacy from the harm they caused. In a conversation with Forbes, Usher described Combs using the word “legacy” and made clear that his personal experience with the mogul did not reflect the picture of him that emerged through the legal proceedings…