Legend has it that African Americans soldiers brought back a love of cognac after service in Europe in World War II. It’s a lovely story, but the history goes back much further.
Composer Nicholas Britell festoons earnest Romantic music with sounds that gleefully desecrate it, underscoring the show’s emotional core: a lust for power joined by immense self-loathing.
Born out of the pain and anger in Black American communities, rap music struck a similar chord throughout Europe, as immigrants struggle to retain their ethnic identities on the margins of society.
Once considered a novelty in school, hip-hop has spawned an array of educational programs and initiatives that are reshaping the way educators teach and how students learn.
As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop, a scholar of the culture and its musical genres explores the meaning of the word ‘dope.’
With their back catalogue finally being made available on streaming services, a new generation of rap lovers will get to enjoy their groundbreaking work.
Ronald Reagan may have been known as ‘The Great Communicator,’ but rap artists don’t view his legacy through such rose-colored glasses. A professor of Black studies and history takes a closer look.
A hip-hop artist and scholar says that while rap stresses the oral tradition, the music is also rife with references to a rich range of literature that spans the globe.