Black awards shows exist, yet artists never seem to hold them in the same regard — Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com. The Weeknd’s never been known for seizing the spotlight. Even dating back to his mysterious early mixtapes, the R&B artist has chosen to let his music do the talking. But last…

The voice-chat social platform skyrocketed in popularity last fall, largely due to an influx of Black users. But we’ve heard this song before. — Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com. It was the night of December 8, and a group of Black users on Clubhouse were threatening a boycott. Meezy, 21 Savage’s manager, had created a room on the voice-chat app…

The National Museum of African American Music sets the music record straight when it comes to U.S. history — The official recordings of history are inherently a measure of value, a tapestry of researched stories deemed worthy of memory. …

With Black and Indigenous heritage, this experimental doom music duo pushes us to consider a world without supremacy — If intentions are the voice of the ineffable, then the Melbourne-based music duo Divide and Dissolve is sledgehammering White supremacy with wordless defiance and ancestral support. Multi-instrumentalists Takiaya Reed and Sylvie Nehill shape their droning guitar riffs and drums into experimental doom-filled sonic darts titled with the ideas they want…

‘Call of Duty’ gamer Kris ‘Swagg’ Lamberson breaks down how he battles the hate — Black kids spend more time playing video games than White kids, yet the free-for-all nature of online communities for games like Call of Duty and the digital anonymity it affords has emboldened many to spew racism. Black gamers of Call of Duty are harassed with racist usernames and rhetoric at…

Ilyasah Shabazz suggests we take her father’s advice and keep pushing for justice — Ilyasah Shabazz has seen enough. The author, activist, and daughter of Malcolm X has seen some people assign more value to property than to Black lives. She’s seen George Floyd’s life ripped from the same lungs he used to call for his dead mother as the world faces a global…

George Floyd family attorney on fear, police brutality, and pushing for policy change — “You have to be kind of fearless to take these cases.” That’s what Attorney L. Chris Stewart tells Momentum regarding his storied career as a legal advisor to families of people killed by police. Stewart specializes in taking tough cases that have a racial element to them. The public nature…

With touring accounting for more than half an artist’s income, people have been forced to get creative — Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com. Over the past few years, Blimes Brixton and Gifted Gab have watched their rap dreams blossom. As West Coast duo Blimes and Gab, the two have been co-signed by Method Man…

Crown Heights mainstay X-Clusive is back handing out fresh cuts — masked, gloved, and by appointment only — Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com. Buzz. Buzz. Door opening. Door closing. Feet shuffling. Buzz. Buzz. Before Covid-19 became the invisible dictator of the world, the sounds of business would barely cut through the banter and movie…