Geoffrey Owens & Nicki Minaj

By Erickka Sy Savané

At this point we all pretty much know the story of how former Cosby Show actor Geoffrey Owens was working at a Trader Joe's in New Jersey when a customer tried to work shame him. The world came to his defense, job offers came pouring in, including a 10-episode stint on the Haves and the Have Nots from Tyler Perry, and a whopping $25,000 gift from Nicki Minaj! Talk about things changing overnight. Obviously, his Trader Joe's gig is history along with his $10 hour. So maybe that's why he donated the $25,000 that Nicki gave him to charity. And while many people are applauding his generosity, some aren't so happy. In fact, they're calling him rude and ungrateful.

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By Ta-ning Connai

If paying bills and having food in my fridge weren't such a priority, I would spend my days watching videos of warm belly puppies and chubby babies that make my heart explode. Recently, I came across a video of a cute little girl eating. But when that beat kicked in, her bowl hit the floor and dance moves from The Motherland bounced off her teeny body! It was the cutest thing ever!

Jay Ellis

By Mwabi Kaira

A petition floated around the internet demanding that Lawrence return to Insecure when it was assumed that he wouldn’t appear on Season 3. Team Lawrence championed hard and fans of the show were pleasantly surprised when Issa ran into him at the 7-11 while she was at Coachella. Lawrence has been on every episode since then and his story line has been interesting to watch. To get over Issa he got on top of a lot of women, and a visit to the doctor scares him right on over to Church. Although both Issa and Lawrence have moved on and agree that friendship is the best thing for them right now, this week’s episode has them getting coffee and reminiscing and we are reminded of why they worked when times were good. The episode ends with viewers wondering if they’re going to give their relationship one more shot.

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Regina King

By Brenda Alexander

Ever the humble one, Regina King was shocked when her name was announced as the winner for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for her role in Netflix’s Seven Seconds, the first woman of color to take home the honor. The audience reacted overtly different by giving her the standing ovation she deserved for her 30+ years in the business. Though not her first Emmy, it was the first of its kind and of that magnitude. What shocked me by the press breaks that followed was just how little mainstream America has paid attention to her unparalleled talent. WE have had the pleasure of her gift for years and know full-well the impact she's had on pop culture. Here are 10 of Regina King's best pop culture moments that started way before this year's Emmy win.

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By Veronica Wells

In a lot of ways, I grew up in the “I’ll take your man” era. The sentiment was in the music. Terry McMillan was writing about it in Waiting To Exhale (which I read probably a little too early), and most importantly they were in the warnings from elders. For better or worse, my grandmother was preoccupied with the concept of jealousy and we received more than our fair share of warnings about people who masqueraded as friends but were secretly jealous of some aspect of your life.

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Chris Brown, daughter & Nia Guzman

By Brenda Alexander

Children are expensive...this I know. But after recent reports of Chris Brown’s baby mama Nia Guzman gunning for more than $20k monthly in child support, I’m stuck with one question: Are mothers of children who have wealthy fathers taking advantage of child support? Because you can’t tell me that $20k a month is a requirement to provide your child a decent life.

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Kenneka Jenkins By Brenda Alexander It’s been a year since the tragic death of Kenneka Jenkins, the Chicago teen whose body was found in a hotel freezer after a night of partying gone wrong. Her case attracted national attention, protests and conspiracy theories, but was ultimately ruled accidental- she got intoxicated at a hotel party, wandered away from her friends and stumbled into a freezer she was unable to escape. When I initially heard the news of her disappearance and subsequent death, I was saddened. When I saw the actual video of her wandering alone, visibly under the influence of substances, I was mortified. That image has remained a constant memory in my mind and a warning of what drinking with people who may not have your best interest at heart could lead too. Continue

Naturi Naughton as Tasha St. Patrick

By Veronica Wells

The lore of Black men feeling unhealthy and irrational attachments to their barbers is not reserved only for them. Black women have our own struggles separating from beauticians and stylists who have been doing our hair for some time. I’ve seen women tolerate bad attitudes, ugly styling, stagnant hair growth and even damage for the sake of loyalty…or fear.

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Bobby Brown with wife Alicia Etheredge-Brown (Source: Essence Magazine)

By Brenda Alexander

If you haven’t watched the second part of the Bobby Brown Story on BET, get your tissues ready, because 80% of the film was nothing but sadness.

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Swizz Beatz, wife Alicia Keys, Ex-wife Mashonda & Kids

By Mwabi Kaira

Photo: Geoffrey Owens IG

By Brenda Alexander

Erykah Badu said it best when she sang, “Work ain’t honest but it pays the bills.” In the context of her song, she was referencing selling drugs, but those lyrics can apply to every walk of life as we’ve all found ourselves in work spaces that weren’t at the top of our vision board or what others perceived we should be doing. That’s what sparked the recent outpouring of love for former Cosby Show star Geoffrey Owens, whom an ignorant fan tried to blast for earning a decent living when a photo she took of him working at Trader Joe's went viral. 

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Via Aevin Gugas IG

By Erickka Sy Savané

We love Guinness World Record holder for biggest afro Aevin Dugas. She was one of our Naturally Glam picks and the CurlyNikki community showed her beaucoup love! But not everyone was feeling the love recently when she shared her views about straightening kids' hair for 'special occasions.' Who knows, maybe it was the "Ya welcome" at the end of the tweet, but some folks were hot as fish grease!

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By Ta-Ning Connai

First, I'd like to give my sincere condolences and a heartfelt prayer for all the rappers and rap critics that got slaughtered by Eminem on his unexpected sneak attack album, Kamikaze, on August 31:

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Serena Williams is #Goals...in every way. She’s fit physically, strong mentally, a pioneer in an industry that never saw it for black women and she comes off as an overall kind human being - which is hard to come by in life. Adding the titles of wife and mother have brought out a new side of Serena that fans were never privy to. She’s become more confident, not that she ever lacked in that department, at least not when it comes to the game of tennis. But, there’s a new layer of confidence to her now. She speaks her mind and shares her experiences to be an example for others, and it’s working. Just this week alone, she’s made headlines for everything from sports, to parenting and being a bomb woman. Here are 5 reasons why Serena is killing it.

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Photo Courtesy of WE TV

By Brenda Alexander

Nothing irritates me more than seeing black kinfolk treating each other like enemies on any public space while we and non-coloreds (i.e. white people) sit and consume their familial drama for entertainment. We have enough outsiders preying on our downfall for us to partake in the mess, especially publically. Unfortunately, this has become the case for my beloved Braxton family.

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Kwaylon Rogers, Raynell Steward & Kaylen Allen

By Brenda Alexander

I often sit with friends and joke that we need to make an IG video that’ll get enough attention to secure us a spot on a reality show; or, at minimum a Fashionnova or Flat Tummy Tea endorsement. We may laugh, but deep down inside, I’m seriously considering it now that social media seems to be the fast track to making your entertainment dreams a reality.

Before Bodak Yellow, Cardi B was a stripper who was loved for her dialect and way with ebonics (okurrrrrr). Mona Scott Young took notice and Cardi landed a prime spot on Love & Hip Hop NY before segwaying into rap royalty. This is what a large social following on IG, Twitter or YouTube can produce if managed properly.

Nowadays, social influencers are ranking in major cash from various business deals, hostings, club appearances and even television and movie deals, with some being sought after before top actors and actresses. Here are 5 digital stars who are transferring their fame from the internet to the masses.

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Via TheShadeRoom

Earlier this week, Michelle Williams had to let y’all know that even though she’s found a good man who is worthy of love and special attention and privileges, she has no intention of doing all the things outlined in Destiny Child’s hit song, “Cater 2 U.” I was with her. Even during my childhood, I could recognize that the song was a little too extreme. I mean in one of the lines Beyoncé literally says, “My life would be purposeless without you.” C’mon sis. It’s too much. I like to think of myself as a romantic and as a child, with no real world experience in love, music and particularly love songs were my peek, my gateway, my initial exposure to what love could and would be like. And to be honest, more than a few of them sold us some pipe dreams or toxic ideology about love, relationships, sex and dating. Check out just a few offenders below.

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Kandice Mason

It seems like everyday there’s a new story about policing. Whether it’s the actual police arresting or harassing us or private citizens feeling it’s their right to tell us what to do. I mean, the viral video just posted of a crying black girl being sent home from her Christian school for having braid extensions is enough to make you hollar! Seriously, Jesus wouldn’t be down for protective styling? When I came across this story of 6th grade teacher Kandice Mason of North Carolina who was suspended after posting a video of her pole dancing to her private facebook account, I had to wonder, is this another case of white folks policing us or does pole dancing exclude you from being a good role model?

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