Episode 13: "Got 99 Problems, But A Book Ain't One" - A Conversation About Hip Hop w/ Dr. Mark Anthony Neal

April 11, 2018

The focus of today’s conversation is hip hop, popular culture, and the representation of blackness in the media. We interviewed Dr. Mark Anthony Neal, a Professor of Black Popular Culture in the Department of African and African-American Studies at Duke University. We begin the interview by discussing the current state of hip-hop and its cultural influences (22:04) and differences between historical and contemporary hip-hop (24:00). We also focus on how black male identity is constructed in the media and popular culture (25:45) and how black male identity in hip hop has evolved over time (27:43). Moreover, we discuss femininity and female identity in hip-hop (29:34) and how the performance of femininity shapes popularity in music and entertainment (33:08). We close the interview by discussing how the cultural scripts imposed on black men are used to justify violence against black bodies (35:34), the transformation of Jay-Z and hip-hop (38:04), barriers to promoting alternative hip-hop and art (41:35), and the relationship between black popular culture and social change (47:32).

Other Topics Include:

00:30 - Catch up with Ty and Daphne

2:40 - BhD “Oh Lawd” News Segment

08:17 - Ty and Daphne Discuss Entertainment News for the Week

11:24- Representation of Black Men in the Media

20:25 - Learn More about Dr. Neal

44:55 - Black representation on the Big and Small Screen

50:25 - Ty and Daphne reflect on the interview

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