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Hip-hop and history blend for Broadway hit ‘Hamilton’
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…
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‘Straight Outta Compton’ calls out racial divide that lingers today
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,…
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American rapper taps into the flow of China’s economy
A Fulbright scholar studying in China found an unusual calling for his language skills and economics knowledge: writing and performing bilingual raps about Chinese development and inequality in Beijing comedy clubs. With songs like “Mo Money, Mo Fazhan” and “Laowai…
Understanding modern China through comedic rap
Stand-up comedian Jesse Appell has made a name for himself in China, parodying pop songs with lyrics about China's macroeconomic woes. Paul Solman catches up with the Boston Fulbright student on the NewsHour Thursday. Watch Appell's music videos, in full,…
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…
The case against Vonte Skinner hinged primarily on two eyewitnesses, though their stories had changed several times. Near the end of the trial, the prosecution introduced 13 pages of violent rap lyrics to demonstrate Skinner’s motive and intent to commit…
When each year’s graduating students take the stage to grab their high school diplomas, it’s a fun and sometimes bittersweet exercise to look back at the events that defined their lives.
Fulbright Scholar and comedian Jesse Appell has been our far-flung correspondent in China this year. Most recently, he appeared on the Business Desk writing about China's theme song, exposing the economic desperation underlying the country's avid consumption. But he's…
