Songs, Movies & Moments – February 2026

A Look at Entertainment

by T.J. Moore –

To celebrate Black History Month, Netflix is rolling out a lineup of movies that center around Black stories across film, comedy, and culture. From Civil Rights-era drama to romance and stand-up specials from veteran comics, Netflix’s lineup balances reflection with wholesome favorites.

The lineup features such classics as Ghosts of Mississippi, The Butler, Independence Day, and comedies such as Tyler Perry’s Joe’s College Road Trip and Sommore: Chandelier Status. To see these great films, tune into Netflix all through February.

Sommore: Chandelier Fly

From hot topics to celebrity scandals, Sommore delivers her unapologetic perspective with a combination of bravado and elegant style.

Amy DuBois Barnett is a trailblazer that you probably haven’t heard of. But in the media industry, she is kind of a big deal. Barnett made history as the first Black woman to lead a major mainstream US magazine as the editor-in-chief at Teen People in 2003. Since then, she’s led publications such as Honey and Ebony magazines, and she has shaped culture while breaking barriers in these roles.

Now Barnett brings her insight and perspective to fiction with her debut novel, If I Ruled the World. The novel is set in 1999, when hip-hop was booming, fashion was popping, and women were quietly carrying entire rooms while being told they didn’t belong. The novel introduces Nikki Rose, the only Black editor at a prestigious fashion magazine, who is told, bluntly, “Black girls don’t sell magazines.”

Nikki refuses to accept it. She quits, takes over Sugar, a struggling hip-hop lifestyle magazine, and has six months to prove herself in a world of high stakes, power plays, and very bad boys—including a married ex determined to destroy her.

If I Ruled the World is more than a novel—it’s a love letter to ambitious Black women everywhere, a peek behind the curtain at a transformative cultural era, and a reminder that finding your voice matters more than anyone else’s approval. The novel is available now on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

Amy DuBois Barnett on new book about ambition, identity and power

Author and former media executive Amy DuBois Barnett joined CBS News with more on her experience at Ebony and Teen People, and her new novel “If I Ruled The World.”

Actress Maia Campbell opened up recently about her past struggles, her road to healing and recovery, and the people who helped her along the way. One of those people who reached out to Campbell and helped was hip-hop legend and Campbell’s In The House co-star LL Cool J.

During a recent appearance on The 85 South podcast, with hosts DC Young Fly, Karlous Miller, and Chico Bean, Campbell reflected on her struggles with substance abuse, bipolar disorder, and her road to healing and sobriety.

“In The House” with Maia Campbell

85 South Show Podcast

On the show, Campbell revealed that she became bipolar in the early 2000s, and explained how trying to prove she was just like everyone else led her down the road to addiction. “I was in the element (of) trying to prove to people that I was just like them instead of being the leader that I was supposed to be.”

One of the most surprising moments from Campbell’s interview came when she shared how LL Cool J stepped in during one of her darkest periods.

“LL was calling, trying to get me into a rehab,” She shared. “He was trying to pay $60,000 a month to get me in and calling to get me back in LA.”

Campbell is now six years sober.