BOOKS
Author and Speaker
An active writer, Bakari Kitwana’s essays have appeared in The New York Times, the Village Voice, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Savoy and the Progressive. For the last decade, he has lectured and given keynote presentations at the nation’s leading colleges and universities, including Princeton University, Harvard University, Stanford University, the University of California – Berkeley, Columbia University and countless others across the country.
Democracy Unchained
Why white kids love hip-hop
The hip-hop Generation
the Rap on Gangsta rap
Multimedia
Videos and Podcasts
Brown University
Description
Professor Tricia Rose’s 1994 award-winning book, “Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America,” is considered foundational text for the study of hip hop, one that has defined what is now an entire field of study. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Black Noise,” Professor Rose and the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America at Brown University hosted a series of lectures to explore hip hop culture and its legacy.
1Hood Artivist Academy Showcase
Description
A look back at 1Hood’s first Artivist Academy Showcase. Attendees had and opportunity to learn about the artists, their projects and what informs their activism and artistry. The evening closed out with a conversation with the legendary Chuck D, leader of the rap group Public Enemy and a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Tamika Mallory- Co-chair of the Women’s March on Washington, Hip-Hop Artist/Activist Mysonne, and Author and Founder of the Hip-Hop Political Convention Bakari Kitwana, moderated by 1Hood Media Co-Founder and CEO Jasiri X.
Chance the Rapper
Description
Chancelor Bennett, otherwise known as “Chance the Rapper” is a 23-year-old independent artist born and raised here, on the south side of Chicago. As a teen from the West Chatham neighborhood, Chance was encouraged to pursue his musical aspirations by his mentors and friends at creative open spaces such as YouMedia located at the Chicago Public Library. As he has grown, Chance has become not only a well-known musician but a man who truly takes pride in giving back to the youth as well as underserved communities. As 2015’s Chicagoan of the Year and Saturday Night Live’s first independent Artist, Chance has certainly made remarkable achievements in a short period of time and he doesn’t plan on stopping now.
TEDx Bingham University
Description
Although the term “The Ferguson Effect” has come to be discussed and defined in mainstream media as a rise in crime as a result of the Ferguson protests following the police killing of Mike Brown in August 2014, Kitwana will offer an alternative definition: the boldness of a new generation of Black youth, inspired by the Ferguson protest movement, to stand up against racial oppression at a mass level for the first time in the US since the activist movements of the late 1960s and early the 1970s. He will focus on the ways political movements evolve out of previous ones, more specifically the ways that aspects of The Black Lives Matters Movement has evolved out of the hip-hop political movement of the previous generation.
Cornel West Part 1
Description
In part one of a two-episode conversation, Dr. Cornel West and Bakari Kitwana examine why joy is important in our lives (especially for those in the social justice realm), what reparations could mean to our nation, and why artists are the indispensable ingredient in society today.
Cornel West Part 2
Description
In part one of a two-episode conversation, Dr. Cornel West and Bakari Kitwana examine why joy is important in our lives (especially for those in the social justice realm), what reparations could mean to our nation, and why artists are the indispensable ingredient in society today.
Left of Black
Description
Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal talks with Bakari Kitwana about the the presidency of Barack Obama, Cleveland’s political response to the non-indictment of Tamir Rice’s killer, and the passing of A Tribe Called Quest’s Phife Dawg. Kitwana is an author, journalist, and political analyst who directs the Rap Sessions: Community Dialogues on Hip-Hop.
Julie Lythcott-Haims
Description
The daughter of an African-American father and a white mother, Julie Lythcott-Haims’ newest memoir, Real American: A Memoir, details her journey in that world – from being a mixed-race teen to her years as a Stanford undergraduate and Harvard Law School. Julie Lythcott-Haims and Bakari Kitwana, Senior Media Fellow at The Jamestown Project and author of The Hip-Hop Generation, discuss growing up black and biracial in America.
Straight Outta Compton
Description
‘Straight Outta Compton’: A Reminder That N.W.A. Lyrics Were Controversial, Poignant
This weekend, we’ll all be able to look back on what you could call some ancient history in hip-hop.
The new film “Straight Outta Compton” tells the story of five friends who shot out of that California city like a rocket. But it also serves as a reminder about the true-to-life tales that N.W.A. sang about, of police mistreatment, distrust and life in the inner city.
Here & Now’s Robin Young is joined by hip-hop historian Bakari Kitwana to discuss N.W.A.
Slim Shady LP
Description
Will The ‘Slim Shady LP’ Still ‘Stand Up’? 20 Years Of Eminem’s Breakout Album
Eminem’s “Slim Shady LP” at 20. We look at the legacy of the landmark album that courted as much controversy as record sales.
Daniel Bernard Roumain
Description
The University of Chicago Artspeaks Fellows Program and the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture presents a discussion between Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) and Bakari Kitwana, hip-hop scholar in residence at the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture.
