Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 325

Salaam Remi On Sampling For Nas and Amy Winehouse

'Sonic reinvention is Salaam Remi's secret weapon. He's given artists their signature sound and remixed careers. He made the Fugees go ooh-la-la and turned Ini Kamoze into a hotstepper. When it comes to pulling magic out of songwriters, he's a master collaborator and his sample-based productions for two icons, Nas and Amy Winehouse, are sound proof.' -- NPR Music

Compton's Black Cowboys Ride To Reclaim Their Legacy

'For those who have never been to South Central Los Angeles, a mention of the city of Compton might bring to mind the sounds of gangsta rap. In his new book, "The Compton Cowboys: The New Generation of Cowboys in America's Urban Heartland," Walter Thompson-Hernández chronicles the lives of 10 friends continuing the legacy of the original Compton Cowboys who for more than 30 years were a mainstay in the city. These cowboys also made their life's work teaching young kids in South Central LA about the possibilities and power of healing through horsemanship.' -- Here & Now

Sojourner Truth Radio: Ruth Wilson Gilmore on COVID19, Decarceration and Abolition

'People in prison are extremely vulnerable to the virus and are being severely impacted by it. The United States currently has the largest incarcerated population in the world, with about with about 2.3 million people in jails and prisons across the country, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. More than half of them (nearly 1.3 million inmates) do not have the ability to socially distance or take the sanitary measures needed to slow the spread of COVID-19.  Ruth Wilson Gilmore presents a  webinar entitled, "Covid 19, Decarceration, and Abolition." that focuses on how we can achieve urgently-needed decarceration for the millions of people caged in jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers across the country. The webinar was hosted by Haymarket Books.' -- Sojourner Truth with Margaret Prescod 
Sojourner Truth with Margaret Prescod · Sojourner Truth Radio: April 29, 2020 - COVID19, Decarceration & Abolition

Sojourner Truth with Margaret Prescod · Sojourner Truth Radio: April 30, 2020 - COVID19, Decarceration & Abolition Pt. 2

Black-Owned Small Businesses Face Long Odds To Stay Afloat Amid Shutdown

'After the government rolled out emergency loans for small businesses, watchdogs continue to raise concerns that black- and minority-owned establishments are being left out. Melba Wilson has owned the restaurant Melba’s in Harlem since 2005. She applied for the PPP through her bank and never heard back. So she decided to go to a Community Development Financial Institution — not-for profit lenders known as CDFI's — and was approved for a loan within days. “If I had not gone to a CDFI I would not have received the funding,” Wilson said. “I would be like so many of my peers still waiting or being told no. There’s no doubt about it”.' -- WNYC News
         
        

92Y: The Photograph – Issa Rae and Stella Meghie interviewed by Roxane Gay

'Issa Rae, Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated creator and star of Insecure, and writer and director Stella Meghie, join author Roxane Gay for a discussion of their film, The Photograph—a powerful multigenerational story of love, family history, and art. Already generating buzz for the project from critics and audiences alike, Rae and Meghie discuss the making of the film and Rae’s effortless chemistry with co-star Lakeith Stanfield—along with stories from behind the scenes, why we need more romantic movies in 2020, and much more.'
92Y · The Photograph: Issa Rae and Stella Meghie interviewed by Roxane Gay

All Of It: ''The Last Dance' Director Jason Hehir

'Director Jason Hehir discusses The Last Dance, his 10-part documentary miniseries about Michael Jordan on ESPN.' -- All Of It
         
       

Robin DiAngelo Wants to Be a Little Less White

'Author and educator Robin DiAngelo wants white people to ask themselves “What does it mean to be white?” Her bestselling book White Fragility lays out the many ways white people both reinforce and benefit from racism -- often without even realizing or acknowledging it. She joins Rebecca Carroll for a vitally important conversation about how discrimination and xenophobia are playing out in the White House, and what white people can do to combat their own fragility.' -- Come Through with Rebecca Carroll

Watch New Orleans Musicians Perform A Socially Distanced Funeral Song

'Relative to other states, Louisiana experienced an early spike in COVID-19 cases and on March 16, the city of New Orleans issued social distancing guidelines that advised against gatherings of more than 10 people. That included funerals. When a few names on the deceased list hit close to home, Brass-a-Holics bandleader Winston "Trombone" Turner felt they needed to be honored like they would have been, ordinarily — with music. So, in a moment when so many are offering what they can for the common good, Turner picked up his horn and called a few friends to record a performance of "I'll Fly Away" in City Park. It's a song played at almost every traditional New Orleans funeral that allows the congregation to celebrate the passing of a soul from one life to the next.' --WBGO and Jazz At Lincoln Center

African American Funeral Home Offers Comfort, Safety During Coronavirus Pandemic

'A longtime African American funeral home in Durham, North Carolina, has two priorities: helping families mourn and keeping them safe. Leoneda Inge  (@LeonedaInge) of WUNC reports.'

Stacey Robinson: 'Building Black Utopia through Hiphop as a Black Speculative Technology'

'Stacey Robinson, an Assistant Professor of graphic design at the University of Illinois is an Arthur Schomburg fellow. His multimedia work discusses ideas of “Black Utopias” as decolonized spaces of peace by considering Black affluent, self-sustaining communities, Black protest movements and the art that document(ed) them.' -- Hutchins Center