THE RINGER
David Arquette Is Still Fighting / March 20, 2020
Why is the actor wrestling — and nearly dying in the ring — at the age of 48? For pride, acceptance, and to undo the mistakes of his past.
Robbing Celebs and Shooting the Mayor / Aug. 1, 2019
The story behind the two most controversial rap songs of 1999.
The X-Men’s Never-Ending ‘Dark Phoenix Saga’ Saga / June 6, 2019
There’s a new movie about Jean Grey’s transformation into the Dark Phoenix. But didn’t we already see this movie? And didn’t this story appear in a Saturday morning cartoon? And in a historic run of comic books? The creators behind each of these stories talk about the undying power of the X-Men’s most iconic story, rising from the ashes once more.
How John Singleton Made ‘Boyz n the Hood’ / May 1, 2019
The inside story of a USC film student’s quest to break the Hollywood mold and make a coming-of-age classic set in South Central L.A.
“It Was All About the Money”: An Oral History of 1998-99 NBA Lockout / Feb. 14, 2019
Part 1 of the inside story of one of the most bitter and bizarre labor disputes in sports history
“An Unmitigated Disaster”: An Oral History of the Lockout-Shortened 1999 NBA Season / Feb. 19, 2019
Part 2: fist fights, the end of MJ, 8-seed Cinderellas, a four-point play heard round the world, and the dawning of a new age in the league.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Going to Trounce Anthony Pappas. So Why is He Running? / October 31, 2018
The hopeless Republican candidate for the 14th House District of New York has been disavowed by his party, failed to raise any significant campaign contributions, and is singularly focused on one obscure issue. What, exactly, does he hope to accomplish?
Dead Man Rising / April 4, 2018
On the eve of his 26th WrestleMania, we talked to friends, colleagues, and victims of the WWE's longest-reigning superstar about the making of the amazing career and (after)life of the Undertaker
The Dangerous Advocacy of Paul Heyman / November 16, 2017
As Brock Lesnar's spokesperson, Paul Heyman is one of WWE's most essential figures and one wrestling history's greatest mavericks. But how much longer can the Beast and his boisterous advocate dominate WWE?
Wasted Talent / July 11, 2017
After his turns in 'A Bronx Tale' and 'The Sopranos,' Lillo Brancato had stardom at his fingertips and lost it all in a haze of drugs and a violent crime. Does he deserve a chance at a comeback?
The Wonder of Ann Wolfe / June 6, 2017
Former boxer and trainer Ann Wolfe is finally on a big stage in the new 'Wonder Woman' film. But her journey to the spotlight has been as complicated as it has been heroic.
The Wrestling Machine at Rest / March 30, 2017
Kurt Angle - gold-medal winner, wrestling icon, relentless ring general - is finally being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. But not before enduring five broken necks, family tragedy, and a devastating addiction to painkillers
The Election That Really Is Like Professional Wrestling / October 28, 2016
Meet Terrance Guido Gerin, a.k.a. Rhyno, the hulking wrestler who just so happens to be running an unlikely campaign for the Michigan House of Representatives. Move over, Jesse Ventura, there's a new rasslin' politician
Joe Budden Just Played His Last Show - But He's Not Retiring / June 17, 2016
Scenes from the cult rapper's not-quite-retirement tour
GRANTLAND
Follow the Leaders / July 20, 2015
Big Daddy Kane and Rakim were the alpha and omega of rap's golden era. Nearly 30 years since their prime, Kane has settled into the nostalgia circuit, while Rakim continues to move in the shadows, plotting a comeback. This is the story of how hip-hop grows old.
Family Business / April 3, 2015
With the L.A. Lakers on the verge of completing their worst season ever, would team president and ultimate boss Jeanie Buss fire her brother Jim, VP of basketball operations, for failing to keep up his end of the bargain? The only thing thicker than blood is NBA championship gold.
Can TNA Get Over? / September 16, 2014
Rumors have swirled about the demise of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Is this the end for the company? And will professional wrestling ever support two major promotions again?
Say Hello to the Bad Guy / May 29, 2014
The life and times of Hollywood heavy Tommy 'Tiny' Lister, better known as Deebo
Billy Bob's Blues / April 3, 2014
Ron Lester came to fame as the oversized comic relief in movies like "Varsity Blues." But now that he's lost the girth that made him famous, can he still have a future in Hollywood?
Bad Day in Buffalo / December 12, 2013
Two mysterious deaths in the shadow of one NFL game
The Menace That Missed / June 13, 2013
Twenty years ago, Menace II Society was supposed to make Tyrin Turner a star. So why have you never heard of him?
The Secret History of Kobe Bryant's Rap Career / April 12, 2013
Whatever happened to the Lakers superstar’s music dreams?
You Either Smoke or You Get Smoked / August 21, 2012
An oral history of White Men Can’t Jump
Kevin Nash's Next Angle / August 7, 2012
The controversial wrestling star has made a fortune in the ring and is making headway in Hollywood. So why can’t he sleep at night?
The 'Perfect Guy' for the Job / September 14, 2015
Why the screenwriter of 'Menace II Society' had to wait 22 years for his next hit
Before #BlackLivesMatter / September 4, 2015
Remembering 'Hip Hop for Respect' and rap's response to police brutality
De'aundre Bonds Gets His Second Chance With 'Dope' / June 29, 2015
After serving nearly a decade in prison for manslaughter, the actor makes a comeback
Messiah Music / April 28, 2015
Investigating the hidden meaning of Lupe Fiasco's "Tetsuo & Youth"
John Singleton Reveals How Ja Rule Blew His Chance to Be in 2 Fast 2 Furious / April 3, 2015
Why did Ja Rule leave the blockbuster Fast and the Furious franchise?
The Oral History of Jay Z's "Hard Knock Life" / December 19, 2014
The inside story on the creation of Jay-Z's Annie anthem
Q&A: Jungle / December 17, 2014
Nas's brother, Jungle, on life in Queensbridge and the new doc Time Is Illmatic
PLAYBOY
The Rise and Fall of Loon / September 2016
Puff Daddy's former hitmaker reflects on what led him to federal prison
Life and Death on the Ropes / January-February 2016
The in-ring death of Hijo del Perro Aguayo sends Mexican wrestling to the mat
MEDIUM (GEN)
Howard Dean Explains Everything About Democrats Today / October 31, 2019
He represented the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party. Then the party changed.
It’s the 25th Anniversary of the 25th Anniversary of Woodstock! / August 8, 2019
An oral history of Woodstock ‘94, the funnest Woodstock of all.
MEDIUM (LEVEL)
The Life and Death of Lloyd Avery / July 22, 2021
How an infamous Boyz N the Hood cameo led to real-life murder
Your Favorite Rapper Will Fade Away Some Day — and That’s Okay / December 16, 2019
The best emcees never fall off, but that doesn’t mean they stay hot forever
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Michael Myers Is a Terrifying Acting Challenge, Too / October 21, 2018
Michael Myers, the masked killer in the “Halloween” movies, is silent and does not emote. He just stalks and kills. How do you portray something called The Shape? The answer is unexpectedly complicated.
Watch Kevin Hart Tell a Joke. See Fans Laugh. At the Movies / October 16, 2016
What works and what can wrong when shooting stand-up comedy for the big screen
Deadpool: Meet the Prime Mover Behind the Mercenary / February 5, 2016
How Deadpool co-creator Rob Liefeld became the most interesting man in comics
Pro Wrestlers Put a Headlock on Hollywood / December 27, 2015
How John Cena and other wrestlers are making their mark in the movie industry
She Makes Sure Actors Step Up to the Plate / September 14, 2012
Aimee McDaniel oversees sports in “Trouble With the Curve”
Interpreters Help to Tell the Story Behind the Fight / January 8, 2012
In boxing, interpreters bring clarity to TV coverage
Healthy and Hungry Again After Three Lost Summers / August 29, 2010
A surprise finalist at the 2006 Australian Open, Marcos Baghdatis saw his ranking and income plummet as he struggled with injuries.
A Squandered Talent Claimed by the Street / March 6, 2010
In the Queensbridge housing project, where Michael Chatfield grew up, he was a playground legend, a measuring stick for other young players, among them Ron Artest
SB Nation
The Biggest Upset in NCAA Tournament History? / March 30, 2016
25 years later, UNLV players still feel the heartbreak of losing to Duke
Good God Almighty, It's Jim Ross! / April 2, 2014
After a career that spanned four decades, wrestling's favorite voice moves on
THE NEW YORK OBSERVER
Skip Bayless, FTW? / March 20, 2012
One-on-one with ESPN's Top Trash Talker
How Jay-Z Met H.P.: Blame Hip Hop Branding Wizard Steve Stoute / November 21, 2011
Former record exec Steve Stoute and the case of the secret chewing-gum jingle
How Dave Mays and Benzino Got Back in the Game with Hip Hop Weekly / September 20, 2011
Step one: Take a page from the Bonnie Fuller playbook
Stewie Rah Rah, Pharma’s King of Fun / September 7, 2011
Meet the richest most well-connected New Yorker you have never heard of
BUZZFEED
Fuck That Gator! / February 4, 2017
Tommie Woodward yelled, 'Fuck that gator!" just before he was killed by one in Texas, and his death instantly became a national joke. For his family, grieving means having to rescue the person from the punchline.
How Vince McMahon's Son Left the WWE Empire To Make It On His Own / April 6, 2014
What has Shane McMahon been up to in the four years since he left the family business - the $2.3 billion WWE juggernaut - to launch a video-on-demand company in China?
COMPLEX
Complex Q&A: John Cena / April 1, 2016
On the eve of WrestleMania, a candid interview with the WWE's polarizing company man
"The Life of Pablo," Album Review / February 16, 2016
Why Kanye West's 7th solo album is the first album made for Twitter Moments
The Unhinged Madness Behind the Making of Any Given Sunday / December 21, 2015
Oliver Stone's set had partying, fighting, and general chaos, sixteen years later the film is as relevant as ever
The Missed Shot That Was Master P's NBA Career / August 6, 2015
How a rap mogul nearly made several professional basketball teams with a unique mixture of skill and fame
The Oral History of Hot 97's Summer Jam / June 5, 2015
Go behind the scenes of hip-hop's biggest concert, from its origins, to the epic beefs, and star-making (and star-breaking) performances
The Oral History of MTV's Rock N' Jock / February 26, 2015
The celebrity sports franchise rules the airwaves and pop culture for over a decade. This is the untold story of Rock N' Jock
No Love Lost / December 19, 2014
The public and private life of Joe Budden, hip-hop's most notorious oversharer
The Bridge Is Over / November 25, 2014
The Queensbridge Houses were once at the center of the rap universe. What happened to hip-hop's most storied housing project?
Freshman Adjustment / February 14, 2014
Why my first Kanye West cover story was such a fail
Kanye West: The Lost Interview / February 14, 2014
Full transcript of my Kanye West interview from December 2003
THE CLASSICAL
The Indie Wrestler / Feb. 12, 2013
How one man’s hard-luck journey through the indie wrestling circuit ended behind a deli counter
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Mel Gibson, Taylor Lautner and the 20-Year Effort to Make a 'Stretch Armstrong' Movie / July 26, 2013
Disney, Universal, dozens of writers and a $10 million payday for Danny DeVito: The Hollywood Reporter presents the oral history of the superhero movie that just couldn't get off the ground
THE AWL
All He Wanted / April 13, 2011
Chris Kanyon's doomed quest to be wrestling's first openly gay star
A Tribe Called Quest: The Time They Nearly Kicked It / July 14, 2011
Or, why you should never interview your idols
GOOD
How Not to Win the Presidency / November 2008
Bob Barr will not be the 44th president of the United States. Neither will Cynthia McKinney. But if 2000 taught us anything, it's that third-party candidates can influence the outcomes of elections.
God, Without the Fuss / January 2008
Joel Osteen's new brand of self-help spirituality is sweeping the nation.
SPIN
Jay Electronica: Man or Myth? / July 2010
Jay Electronica, hip-hop’s greatest new MC, gives his music away, tweets his baby’s birth, and rhymes his name with Hanukkah. Is this guy for real?
Out of the Shadows / August 2009
Having battled his demons on the mic before Slim got Shady, Cage tries to reinvent rap-rock and take you on the next downward spiral
The SPIN Interview: Q-Tip / August 2008
After Q-Tip transformed hip-hop with A Tribe Called Quest, he endured solo exile and ran the celebrity gauntlet. Will he now be accepted back as an MC elder?
VIBE
The Vibe Q: Shaquille O’Neal (Pt. 1) / Feb/Mar 2012
Shaquille O’Neal picks up a few flagrant fouls while addressing his legacy, his rapping and how he got whacked by a certain two-guard
The Vibe Q: Shaquille O’Neal (Pt. 2) / Feb/Mar 2012
Oral History: Tupac's Acting Career (Pt. 1) / Oct/Nov 2011
Tupac Shakur's true Hollywood story
Oral History: Tupac's Acting Career (Pt. 2) / Oct/Nov 2011
The Eminem Cover Story: Dying To Live / Aug/Sept 2010
With his mind right and his rhymes tight, hip-hop's biggest blockbuster rapper isn't ready for war anymore. Eminem is clean and sober and putting shattered pieces of his life back together again
KING
The Education of Ron Artest / January 2009
Ron Artest was a beast in grammar school. But if you went to class with dirty underwear and purple jeans, you might have anger issues too. Reunited with one of his schoolmates, Artest talks about his early days.
Belly Up / September 2008 (co-written with Clover Hope)
Belly opens with a Hollywood cliche - the stickup. But here, the bad guys wore glow-in-the-dark contact lenses and robbed the Tunnel. It was original, it looked great, it all went downhill from there
Hard Times / July/August 2008
Former wrestler Hardbody Harrison promised damaged women riches and stardom if they worked hard in the sqared circle. All he asked in return was sex and prostitution.
KING Legacy Interview: Nas / April 2008
It ain't hard to tell. Nas. Escobar. God's Son is a legend. Fourteen years after Illmatic, Mr. Jones takes a moment to exhale on all topics, including the question that matters most: Is he the best?
The Life and Death of Lloyd Avery II / November 2007
Boyz N the Hood actor Lloyd Avery II answered the calls of thug life. What followed? Paranoia, a double homicide, and death at the hands of a Satanist
Killer Crossover / December 2005
Iverson may have the platinum chains, but Shaquille O'Neal has the plaque. KING documents the rap career of the only athlete to ever scan a million sold.
XXL
Everything I Am / September 2013
In this XXL cover story, Drake talks Nothing Was the Same, Amanda Bynes, Kobe and what it's like exchanging subliminal disses with Kanye West.
Mourn You 'Til I Join You / September 2011
The troubled life and tragic death of 2Pac's favorite producer, Johnny J
DJ Premier: The XXL Icon Interview / December 2010
Hip-hop’s most respected producer talks hit records, acid trips, his late friend Guru and one legendary screaming match with Puff Daddy.
Lost: The Last Days of Guru of Gang Starr / June 2010
The sad, mysterious end to Keith “Guru” Elam’s life has made clear just how far one of hip-hop’s most beloved MCs had gotten from his former friends, family and support system
All Falls Down / March 2010
Four years ago, superproducer Scott Storch’s beats dominated the charts, while he amassed a $70 million fortune. Today, he’s a survivor who’s overcome financial ruin and drug addiction. How did it all go wrong?
The Coolest / April 2008
He flaunts his association with a criminal organization and collects felony charges like baseball cards. But he’s a fixture at the top of the charts and a favorite on daytime talk shows. How does Snoop Dogg do it?
I'm Real, What Are You? / July 2007
He’s the King of the South, tip-top of the rap game. But is he happy? Does he want to retire? Every evening, he has a by-himself meeting, but still, T.I. is of two minds.
Like Me / May 2007
In today's tabloid-driven world, stars are supposed to have an "image," a "persona," and a marketable "story" the public can latch on to. Fabolous just wants to make hit records. What's a rapper to do?
Weight / December 2006
He's been fighting for his career for near fifteen years. Never afraid of change, he's sticking and moving. Fat Joe has had his hits, but he's taken some, too
SLAM
The Fighter / January 2011
One of the NBA's greatest shot-blockers, 7'7" Manute Bol made an even bigger impact off the court
VICE SPORTS
From Ring to Screen and Back / November 30, 2015
How Rocky's Real Life Boxers Fared in the Ring
GENIUS
The Hip-Hop Musical That Hit NYC 25 Years Before Hamilton / June 14, 2016
Lauren Hill, Wyclef, and MC Lyte hit the stage in Club XII, the forgotten play that was way ahead of its time
PITCHFORK
The Rap Pact / February 14, 2017
How Jay Z and Hot 97 combined forces to take over hip-hop