Can’t Knock the Hustle: The Dismal Ethos of Modern Hip Hop and Black Culture (w/ Jason A. England)

My guest for this episode is Anela Malik — writer, speaker, food and travel enthusiast, social media influencer. She is the author of the book American Soul: The Black History of Food in the United States and the host of the Black food and travel series Our Block.

We discuss the difference between online and real-life Black culture, the importance of maintaining integrity as a social media content creator against the backdrop of hustle culture, the thriving Black food scene in DC, and her experience traveling the world as a Black American woman.

Lamont Jack Pearley of Jack Dappa Blues Heritage Preservation Foundation & the African American Folklorist Magazine joins me for this episode. He is an applied folklorist, an African American music historian, and a traditional country blues artist.

We discuss the meaning of applied folklorist, the relationship between folklorists & archivists, and the reason he founded The African American Folklorist Magazine. We also chat about the blues: Why the genre is such a potent lens for Black culture, hip hop songs that function as blues songs, and how being a blues artist informs his scholarly work.

My guest for this episode is Dr. Constance Bailey, Assistant Professor of African American Literature and Folklore at Georgia State University and Digital Media Editor at the American Folklore Society.

Dr. Bailey and I discuss the distinctions between "soul food" and "Southern food," the persistence of gas station and roadside food spots in the South, Black memes, the importance of preserving Black digital culture, as well as the Black "folktastic", which she defines as the fantasy elements in Black folklore.

In this episode, I speak to film critic, writer, and podcaster Marcus Pinn of the blog Pinnland Empire and the podcast Zebras in America. We discuss the history of efforts to build a Black film canon, groupthink in modern Black film criticism, and the difficulty legendary Black filmmakers have making new films.

We also discuss the limits of using representation as a lens to provide a corrective to the established Black film canon. In addition, we talk about the importance of having a balanced film diet and whether it's possible for "bad" movies to be good.

For this episode I speak to Boston writer and hip hop historian Dart Adams about the history of the hip hop canon starting from the early days of recorded old school classics through the mainstream/ underground schism of the late 90s and beyond. We talk about the development of the rap album as a serious artistic form and how Dart defines the 2 "golden eras" of hip hop.

We touch on the music business, mass media, hip hop journalism, and the competitive spirit that spawned countless classic hip hop albums.

My guest for this episode is KJ Kearney — community organizer, food writer, educator, influencer, and creator of the James Beard Award winning Instagram account Black Food Fridays.

We discuss the history of red rice as a Gullah/Geechee dish with roots in West Africa, using Black food media as a vehicle for racial uplift, the responsibility of social media influencing, the limitations of the internet as an organizing tool, and KJ's evolving ideas on the meaning of power.

Playwright, author, educator, and activist J.e. Franklin joins me for this episode. We discuss how she became involved in theatre and why she moved to New York. Ms. Franklin talks about her acclaimed play “Black Girl” and its various productions on tv, stage, and film.

In addition, Ms. Franklin explains the connection between theatre and education and how she incorporates philosophy in her teaching.

Finally, Ms. Franklin recounts the many writers, poets, playwrights, and actors who thrived in 60s and 70s NYC in what would come to be known as "The Black Arts Movement."

My guest is writer and music critic Chris Stevens, who hosts the R&B podcast On The Groove Line. Chris and I discuss the first ever quiet storm R&B radio broadcast by Melvin Lindsey at Howard's WHUR radio station, which aired 50 years ago and sparked an explosion of quiet storm radio programming on Black radio in multiple cities across the U.S.

We get into the unique hallmarks of the music itself, the subgenre's appeal to different audiences based on age and class, and the social and cultural context surrounding the music.

The guest for this episode is Charla L. Draper, Chicago food writer/consultant and former food editor of Ebony & Southern Living. I talk to Ms. Draper about her early Black food writing influences as well as trends in Black and soul food over time. We also discuss the recipe development and testing efforts she led in the Ebony Test Kitchen in her role as food editor. Finally, we speak about her motivation to create National Soul Food Month, the annual soul food celebration that marks its 25th anniversary in June of this year.

My guest for this episode is Dr. Aneeka A. Henderson of Amherst College. We discuss the historical, political, and cultural context of Black marriage in the U.S. through the lens of pop culture and her book, Veil & Vow, which critically analyzes how the popular fiction of Black women writers like Terry McMillan and Sister Souljah, Black films, and popular music frame the concept of marriage in the late '90s -- early 2000s.

We also talk about marriage in the Black Housewives reality TV shows and Black social media gender discourse.

In this episode, I speak with siblings Alima Wheeler-Trapp and Ali J. Wheeler of the arts organization and archive The Black Canon.

We spoke about the extensive collection of film, music, theatre, and print items that their father, James E. Wheeler amassed over several years as well as what it takes to share that collection with the world.

My guest for this episode is Chef Rahman "Rock" Harper, who is a chef, entrepreneur, author, speaker, and food media personality based in the Washington, D.C. area.

We explore the differences between home cooked vs restaurant soul food, the need for Black Americans to reclaim soul food in the commercial space, and the pros and cons of talking soul food in mainstream + social media.

The guest for this episode is Sheree Williams, Publisher & Owner of Cuisine Noir Magazine as well as Executive Director of the nonprofit The Global Food & Drink Initiative.

We discuss Cuisine Noir, the impact of Black food, wine, and travel storytelling, and the media’s changing social and political landscape.

My guest for this episode is Cam James, music artist, investigative journalist on YouTube, and rising star in online political media.

We speak about the scams targeting Black communities and the relationship of these scams to the broader scammer ethos in the U.S.

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Jared Ball — author, activist, independent media figure, & professor — about his book, The Myth and Propaganda of Black Buying Power.

We explore the history of the claim that Black Americans have a GDP-like buying power that can be focused to bring about their collective economic uplift, the lack of evidence supporting the claim, & Black media’s role in spreading & popularizing the claim.

My guest for this episode is professor and author Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson.

We speak about exciting new scholarship and efforts in Black American food and also touch on her prior work: how chicken played a prominent role in Black entrepreneurship as well as the inherent anti-Blackness of food shaming.

For this episode, my guest is boxing business attorney, card game enthusiant, and author, Lamont Jones.

We talk about his book, The Gist of Bid Whist: The Culturally Rich Card Game From Black America, and explore the history of the partner card game bid whist as well as some of the ways African Americans made the game their own.

In this episode, my guest is celebrated soul food scholar, author, and speaker, Adrian Miller.

We discuss the history of the term “soul food,” soul food dishes and trends, the perception of the cuisine, and several of Adrian's award-winning books.

A conversation with drummer Jay Mumford of The Du-Rites about the history of funk drumming styles from the '60s through the '80s. We also discuss Jay's childhood funk fandom and how he decided to become a professional funk drummer later in life.

This episode is a funk music history lesson.

A brief precursor episode to provide some background about me, why I created the podcast, & what to expect going forward.

Trailer for The Black etc podcast