>> OFTEN OVERLOOKED IN MAINSTREAM MEDIA.

A NEW BOOK EXPLORES BLACK CHICAGO'S INFLUENCE ON POP CULTURE AND THE WORLD.

NOW THE BOOK IS CALLED.

WE ARE THE CULTURE BLACK, CHICAGO'S INFLUENCE ON EVERYTHING.

AND JOINING US NOW IS THE OFFER ARIANNE THAT'LL SORRY.

AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING HAS IN THE AIN SO LET'S GET RIGHT INTO IT.

I KNOW THAT THIS BOOK WAS SEVERAL SEVERAL YEARS IN THE MAKING.

AND HOW DID THE CONCEPTUAL THE CONCEPT OF THE BOOK COME ABOUT?

WELL, I DEFINITELY WANT IT TO DO SOMETHING THAT WAS.

>> AS TO CHICAGO, RIGHT?

AND BEING A CHICAGO AND LOVE IN THIS PLACE.

SO MUCH.

I RECOGNIZE THAT ESPECIALLY HERE IN CHICAGO HOW WE ARE VIEWED SOMETIMES WITH THE REST OF THE COUNTRY WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD IS NOT AS INFLUENTIAL AS WE REALLY ARE.

AND SO THEN BEING A BLACK CHICAGO AND I WANT MAKE SURE THAT KIND OF BROUGHT THAT HOME AND BROUGHT IN A LOT OF THE CULTURE THAT I GREW AND THAT I STILL LEARNING ABOUT A LOT OF THAT HISTORY AND REALLY BEEN ABLE TO KIND OF JUS.

SHOW PRIDE WHAT WE HAVE HERE CHICAGO AND HOW IT HAS SPREAD EVERYWHERE.

SO WHAT DID YOU LEARN ABOUT YOUR CITY WHILE RESEARCHING FOR BOOK?

I KNOW ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT WAS SOUL TRAIN, RIGHT?

BUT WAS THERE ANY CHICAGO HISTORY ASSERTED BETS THAT?

>> YOU'RE LIKE, WOW, I HAD NO IDEA.

YEAH, THERE FOR SO MANY.

AND I THINK THERE WAS A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAD A LITTLE INKLING ABOUT.

>> BUT THAT I JUST HAD NO IDEA.

JUST HOW INFLUENTIAL IT WAS.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE WITH HAIR CARE, I KNEW, YOU KNOW, FROM GIRL UNDER THAT WE HAD A PRETTY STRONG BLACK HAIR CARE INDUSTRY YOU KNOW, BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT WE HAD SO MANY INFLUENTIAL FAMILIES CREATE THESE BRANDS.

AND I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW THERE INFLUENCE EXTENDED INTO, FOR EXAMPLE, ENTERTAINMENT RE LIKE TOP.

JUST MENTIONED SALT RAY.

SOUL TRAIN HAVE BEEN ABLE TO REMAIN AS AND BEEN ABLE TO GROW IF THEY HADN'T OF BEEN FOR, FOR EXAMPLE, BLACK HAIR CARE COMPANIES THAT PUT MONEY INTO THAT ADVERTISING WHEN MAYBE OTHER PEOPLE WOULD SO IT'S ALSO INTEGRATED.

AND I JUST REALLY, YOU KNOW, I'M I'M STILL LEARNING MORE AND MORE EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW BEAUTIFUL THIS PLACE IT JUST MADE ME WANT TO LIKE, KEEP GOING AND LEARN MORE.

AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, AS A REPORTER, IT WAS A LOT OF THE HAD BEEN WHAT I'VE ALREADY BEEN REPORTING ON.

>> AND SO JUST KIND OF SIT DOWN FORMALIZING AND SPREADING IT OUT.

I JUST LIE SO MUCH MORE, THOUGH.

AND SO WHEN I WAS READING WE'RE LEARNING SO MUCH RIGHT ABOUT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ALONGSIDE OF THE CHICAGO HISTORY.

BUT YOU SAY THAT THIS ISN'T A MEMOIR THAT A MAN WAS TIE, WHICH DO THINK I MEAN, BECAUSE FIRST THAT I PUT IT INTO HISTORY.

BUT I THINK THAT YOU'RE RIGHT, THAT, YOU KNOW, I DO HAVE ESSAYS IN THERE AND THE POINT OF THOSE ESSAYS ARE NOT TO >> SHOW ANY TYPE OF EXCEPTIONAL MORE SPECIAL THAN US.

IT'S REALLY THE SHELL LIKE, HEY, I EXPERIENCED THIS REALLY COOL THING.

THIS IS MY CONNECTION TO THIS SUBJECT MATTER.

THIS IS MY FAMILY'S CONNECTION AND I'D BET YOU IF YOU BLACK, CHICAGO AND YOU HAVE SOME TYPE OF CONNECTION TO THIS SAME WAS REALLY TRY TO LIKE.

CONNECT US IN TO TALK ABOUT THESE CONNECTED EXPERIENCES.

SO I GUESS I COULD SAY LIKE PART S A PAR BUT I DIDN'T WANT IT TO NECESSARILY BE A MEMOIR ABOUT ME.

ONLY CHOSE STORIES THAT WAR RELAY DOUBLES STORIES THAT ACT OUT.

TALK ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE THAT WE CAN NOW, YOU KNOW, MOST OF CAN RELATE AND ANOTHER THING THAT YOUR BOOK HIGHLIGHTS AS SEVERAL LIKE INFLUENTIAL MEDIA MAKERS THAT STARTED IN CHICAGO, INCLUDING THE CHICAGO DEFENDER WHO CREATED INFAMOUS OUTSIDE BUT BILLIKEN PARADE.

>> WE ALSO HAVE THE JOHNSON PUBLISHING COMPANY AND OPRAH WINFREY WHO GOT HIS START HERE.

SO HOW WOULD YOU SAY THAT THESE OUTLETS THAT YOU'VE HIGHLIGHTED HAVE MAINSTREAM MEDIA TODAY?

YEAH, I THINK THAT REALLY HOW WE INTERACT WITH A LOT OF MEDIA.

>> CAN BE SEEN IN THE START OF SOME OF THOSE RIGHT?

WE TALK ABOUT THE DEFENDER, HOW INFLUENTIAL IT WAS.

AND EVEN YOU KNOW, IT'S AT YOU KNOW HOW TO BEHAVE LIKE A REALLY STRONG PERSPECTIVE >> IN A WAY THAT >> I SEE NOW IN CERTAIN PIECES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT EBONY IN JACK LIFESTYLE, RIGHT SHOWING BLACK LIFE STOUT ON THE PAGES IN GLOSSY MAGAZINES, RIGHT?

MAKING IT LOOK A RING AND BEAUTIFUL AND SOMETHING THAT YOU WANT TO ASPIRE TO LIKE.

THAT'S WHAT WE STILL TRY TO DO TODAY.

AND SO IT JUST REALLY INFLUENTIAL MOST NOTICE ANOTHER THING THAT YOU HAD WHILE I WAS READING THAT TRIBUTE TO DIFFERENT MUSIC GENRES THAT ORIGINATED HERE.

SO BLUES JAZZ.

WHY DID YOU DECIDE WELL, ONE THING WAS THAT I REALIZE THAT I WRITE A WHOLE BOOK JUST ABOUT THE MUSIC RIGHT >> AND SO HAS TO MAKE A LOT OF DECISIONS.

AND I COULD INCLUDE A LOT.

AND SO WHERE EVER I COULD I REALIZE HOW CAN I INTEGRATE MUSIC BACK INTO THIS?

AND I THINK BECAUSE MUSIC REALLY IS THE SOUNDTRACK ALL THESE THINGS THAT WE DO.

IF YOU'RE TALKING, YOU KNOW, EBONY AND JET, FOR EXAMPLE, WHO WERE AMAZING MUSICIANS THAT CAME THE RULES.

THEY SAYING >> THEY ALL JUST HAD TO GET THIS A BEAUTIFULLY CONTINUING WITH MUSIC.

TIDBIT THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR BOOK IS KIND OF A PLAYLIST A FEW.

WELL, RIGHT, WHETHER IT BE STARTING AT THE BEGINNING OF A DIFFERENT SECTION OF CHAPTER YOU'VE OUTLINED ARTIST THAT YOU ARE LISTENING TO.

SO SOME OF THOSE INCLUDE HOW I GOT OVER BY MAHALIA JACKSON GO BY COMMON AND I'M READY BY MUDDY WATERS.

>> WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO INCORPORATE A PLAYLIST?

YEAH.

WELL, ONE WAY IS THAT IT AWAY FROM ESA TRACK DIVE INTO SOME OF THE THAT COULD YOU KNOW, GET IN 2 IN DEBT.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T HAVE MAYBE SPECIFICALLY CHAPTER ON GOSPEL, BUT CHICAGO BALL WAS SO INFLUENTIAL IS SO IF LYNCH, RIGHT?

AND SO MAKING SURE THAT LIKE THAT INFLUENCE IS SPREAD THROUGHOUT.

I EVERY PIECE OF THIS BOOK TO BE A DIFFERENT WAY TO BE BY CHICAGO.

THE SONG.

WOW.

IT'S SO GREAT.

AND SO AGAIN, THE BOOK IS CALLED.

WE ARE THE CULTURE PLAQUE, CHICAGO'S