Dec 16 Watch 7:09 Black Violin wants to break your classical music stereotypes By PBS News Hour The members of Black Violin want to change perceptions about who can play what kind of music. Wil Baptiste on viola and Kev Marcus on violin met as high school orchestra nerds. Today they play genre-bending music, blending classical music… Continue watching
Nov 20 Watch 8:42 Hip-hop and history blend for Broadway hit ‘Hamilton’ By PBS News Hour He’s on the $10 bill and he died in a duel, but what else do you know about Alexander Hamilton? Now his life is the subject of a cutting-edge hip-hop Broadway musical, created by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Jeffrey Brown talks to… Continue watching
Oct 20 Meet the two new members of San Francisco’s legendary dance crew By Abhi Singh, KQED The Renegade Rockers are legendary in the Bay area, having perfected the art of hip hop dance since 1983. Now, they have two new members: Alex Flores and Marthy Galimba, also known by their dance names Prince Ali and Marthy… Continue reading
Aug 14 Watch 7:16 ‘Straight Outta Compton’ calls out racial divide that lingers today By PBS News Hour The album "Straight Outta Compton" by rap group NWA burst onto the hip hop scene in 1988, evoking the turmoil of gang violence, crack cocaine and poverty and the tension between young black Americans and the police. A new movie,… Continue watching
Dec 13 Watch 3:17 Behind USAID’s failed attempt to infiltrate Cuban hip-hop By PBS News Hour This week the Associated Press revealed that the U.S. government attempted and failed to co-opt the hip-hop scene in Cuba to "spark a youth movement against the government." Trish Wilson of the Associated Press joins Hari Sreenivasan from Washington, D.C… Continue watching
Oct 22 Photos capture post-punk and hip hop icons before they made it big By Colleen Shalby Before Tony Alva and Jay Adams were skateboarding legends, before the Beastie Boys went mainstream and before Fugazi was a post-punk icon, photographer Glen Friedman captured their lives on film. Continue reading
Aug 21 Take a tour of Muslim youth culture through ‘Rebel Music’ By Noreen Nasir Hisham Aidi's new book, "Rebel Music: Race, Empire and the New Muslim Youth Culture," explores the cross-cultural trends in political activism and movements throughout history, and how it's all brought together with music. Continue reading
Aug 21 Watch Hisham Aidi on his new book ‘Rebel Music: Race, Empire and the New Muslim Youth Culture’ By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Jul 02 Rappers respond: ‘This is how we express ourselves’ By Saskia de Melker A man shoots his foe in the head over and over again, leaving him to bleed out on the street. The man has no remorse. He even brags about it. Only this man isn’t real. He’s a… Continue reading
Oct 31 Watch Charles Randolph-Wright on ‘Love in Afghanistan’ Charles Randolph-Wright reflects on his play, "Love in Afghanistan."… Continue watching