Leslie D. Rose

D.C. Metro-based veteran journalist, editor, photographer, and creative writer.

Rap and hip hop music became major tools for advertising, marketing, and branding in the mid-1980s. It is likely the perception of cool that works well for advertisers, coupled with the ever-growing popularity of the genre among younger audiences. Over the years rap has been used as a means of drawing in consumers not familiar with it but fascinated with its elements, as well as rap fans seeking to emulate popular artists. Since the mid-1980s, rap has been used to sell everything from clothing to cars, cell phone providers, computers, beverages, food, lint rollers, and dolls.

From negro spirituals to protest songs, Black music has traditionally been used as a catalyst for social change. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, popular artists like James Brown encouraged people to stand in their Blackness with songs like "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" and Nina Simone challenged politics with "Mississippi Goddam." The revolution in the songs ever-present as systemic change was being widely demanded.

Louisiana native Zaila Avant-garde took the reins of Black Girl Magic when she became the first Black American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, as Blavity previously reported. The eighth-grader besting the competition with the word, murraya, to make history and bring a much-needed spotlight on the southern region of the United States, an area that often falls on the lower end of the country's education rankings.

If I had a dime for every person who wrongly assumed my race and nationality, I'd have enough money to pay myself reparations.

As the COVID-19 pandemic shook the entertainment industry, canceling shows and closing venues, artists of all acclaim were left to figure out how to make ends meet during a time of unparalleled uncertainty. When pandemic-related restrictions hit the independent music scene, challenging the creativity of an already stigmatized and misunderstood market, several artists not only proved their longevity but also showed the exceptional value of remaining independent in the ever-changing music busin...

Baton Rouge musician and pastor Ronaldo Hardy put an entire year’s worth of grief and honesty into his new album, “FOURSIXTWENTY.”

Ryan credits her ongoing commitment to journalism to her regularly scheduled mental health counseling and perseverance instilled in her by her family.

There’s no experience quite like the HBCU experience.
Outside of these institutions, you'd be hard-pressed to find a plethora of Black folks learning and growing together while surrounded by tradition, fashion, Black empowerment, step shows, marching bands, football and a bevy of other customs. There’s a reason why so many HBCU graduates won't stop boasting about being HBCU graduates.

When news spread about the death of rap icon, Biz Markie, who is said to have died from complications related to Type 2 Diabetes, outpourings of love for the "clown prince of hip-hop" filled social media. Unfortunately, so did sideways commentary about Biz not taking better care of himself.

Raina Vallot had no intentions of starting a movement when she posted a photo of her new fuchsia suede pumps on social media with the caption "Power Pump Girl."
One message from her LSU classmate Sherin Dawud quickly changed her mind.

United Philanthropy Forum and The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (CGLR) have joined in partnership to combat the long-term consequences of pandemic-precipitated learning loss facing children of economically challenged families, fragile families and those who are marginalized.

Abdullah Muflahi reflects on the loss of his friend and how his convenience store became a local protest landmark

Created out of a need to communicate, the Black counterpart of American Sign Language, Black ASL has flavor, seasoning, substance and most importantly, cultural significance to the Black deaf community.

Sharon Weston Broome, Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, inherited a city riddled by loss and grief.