Lift Every Voice and Sing: On The Power of the Black National Anthem
“Lift Every Voice and Sing” is a song that most Black Americans of my generation know so deeply that it
Read more
Music
The Lemonade Reader: A New Book on Beyoncé’s Visual Album
This post is part of our blog series that announces the publication of selected new books in African American History
Read more
“Swinging While I’m Singing”: Spike Lee, Public Enemy, and the Message in the Music
“1989, a number, another summer, sound of the funky drummer” —Public Enemy, “Fight the Power” The scene may be the
Read more
Lupe Fiasco’s “Manillas” and the Material Culture of Anti-Black Violence
In Lupe Fiasco’s seventh album, Droga’s Wave, he unveils how the historic legacies of transatlantic slavery connect with contemporary Black
Read more
Hip-Hop in the Trump Era
I found out about Kanye West’s October 2018 meeting with Donald Trump through memes on social media. At first, I
Read more