By Ericka Alston Buck
Special to the AFRO
eabuck@afro.com
The past 12 months have been a beautiful display on Black excellence when it comes to music, fashion, the big screen and more. Take a look at some of the top moments in this year’s arts and culture timeline.
1. Beyoncé wins Best Country Album at the Grammy Awards
On Feb. 2 Beyoncé made headlines when her “Cowboy Carter” album took the award for Best Country Album. Later in the year, Grammy officials would announce that no one would ever win that award again. In June, the Recording Academy created two new categories– one for traditional country album and one for best contemporary country album– and did away with the Best Country Album title altogether.
Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” tour went on to become a cultural moment of its own, inspiring new songs, viral line dances and choreography that spilled into cookouts, festivals and backyard barbecues. Mrs. Carter’s album reaffirmed how Black music continues to shape collective joy.
2. Kendrick Lamar takes over Superbowl LIV
By the time Kendrick Lamar took over the Super Bowl Halftime stage on Feb. 9 he had already announced itself as a year where Black culture refused to be ornamental.
Super Bowl LIX placed Black artistry front and center, with Lamar headlining and appearances by R&B artists SZA, legendary actor Samuel L. Jackson and sports icon Serena Williams. It was only right that New Orleans native Jon Baptiste perform the national anthem, as the game was played in his hometown. The opener paid tribute to the excellence of historically Black institutions, featuring Southern University’s Human Jukebox marching band. Kendrick turned the world’s biggest broadcast into a celebration of Black musical tradition and institutional pride.
3. Roberta Flack dies
Music, as always, carried us through the year. The culture mourned Roberta Flack, the kind of artist who could turn tenderness into a national language. The songstress whose songs taught generations how to feel without apology died on Feb. 24.
4. Black designer makes history at the Academy Awards
On March 2 Hollywood marked the year with a moment that demanded to be remembered. Costume designer Paul Tazewell made history as the first Black man to win the Academy Award for Best Costume Design for “Wicked” — a victory that wasn’t just about spectacle or fantasy, but about long overdue visibility in a creative lane where Black men are rarely centered. It was a quiet but seismic shift, felt deeply by artists who’ve spent decades shaping worlds without recognition.
Still, the year wasn’t defined by awards season alone.
5. Coogler takes big screen by storm with “Sinners”
Black film continued expanding its storytelling range with the introduction of Ryan Coogler’s 2025 supernatural horror film “Sinners,” which debuted in April—signaling a continued appetite for genre-bending stories rooted in Black imagination and complexity.
6. Met Gala honors “Black Dandy” style
The 2025 Met Gala took place on May 5 at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art under the theme of “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.” The gala and the accompanying exhibit paid tribute to Black dandyism, a style made popular during the Harlem Renaissance. The museum describes dandyism as clothing, furniture, art and more that sprung from the “intersection of African and European style traditions.” Shown here, singer Teyana Taylor.
7. A “Boots on the Ground” takeover
Let’s not forget how the fun of Summer 2025 was impacted by the viral sensation “Boots on the Ground: Where Them Fans At?” by 803Fresh. The contagious line-dance anthem brought out the denim-and-boots combination, with fans clacking nationwide.
8. Ralph Lauren pays tribute to Black tradition and style
In July, Ralph Lauren paid homage to Oak Bluffs’ “legacy as a cultural haven for Black communities” in Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. The collection of items included twill jackets, pleated wool trousers, linen Spelman University blazers, Morehouse sweaters, hats, maritime inspired shirts and more.
9 Brandy and Monica hit the road
The Boy is Mine Tour brought two iconic artists together, Brandy and Monica, in a live celebration of Black musical history. The tour pulled together two women rumored to be at odds in the past, reminding audiences that collaboration and evolution can coexist–and that eras never die–they echo. The tour, which began on Oct. 18 in Cincinnati, was a hit nationwide and ended in December.
10 Sean “Diddy” Combs trial splits entertainment community
National conversations around consent and assault grew heavier in the music community this year. The criminal trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs unfolded in real time, prompting overdue discussions about power, accountability and the cost of silence in entertainment. Regardless of Combs’ Oct. 3 sentencing to 50 months in prison on charges related to prostitution, the moment marked a cultural shift – one where influence no longer guarantees insulation.
11 Dave Chappelle finishes 2025 with a laugh
Christmas came early for comedy fans who have followed the decades-long career of comedian Dave Chappelle. “The Unstoppable,” a new stand-up special filmed in Chappelle’s hometown of Washington, D.C., was released in December 2025 on Netflix.