Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 394

Exploring Masculinity Through Dance in "Come Together"

'Acclaimed British portrait photographer Campbell Addy directs this coming-of-age allegory featuring four dancers who explore movement in pursuance of authentic existence. Each mover is given agency to explore his kinesthetic space in partially unchoreographed shots, either bathed in luminescent colour or cloaked in shadow; eventually their energies coalesce to form a united dance front. This tableau is an expression of Harrods’ celebration of the modern masculinity, with movements that juxtapose delicacy with strength, and sensuality with play.' -- Nowness

Anderson .Paak - Make It Better (ft. Smokey Robinson) [Official Video]

Anderson .Paak -- "Make It Better" (feat. Smokey Robinson) directed by Andy Hines from Ventura.

How Nile Rodgers and David Bowie Produced Let’s Dance

'Veteran musician and producer Nile Rodgers recalls how David Bowie’s Let’s Dance album was produced and how it captured the African-American soul of rock & roll.' -- Red Bull Music Academy

Portrait of a Place: Southside Forever—A Motion Picture of Black Chicago

'In a compassionate documentary on one district’s battle against violent crime, director Rodney Lucas illustrates life and death in his hometown of Chicago. Featuring the voices of community champions and activists, “this project is a reclamation of black narrativization,” the South Side Chicago native comments. Lucas entrusts the heart of his film to the city’s residents who have often had to tolerate sensationalist or demeaning narratives promulgated by the media. Working with directors of photography Kassim Norris and Brenton Oeschle, Lucas is able to “creatively humanize the plight and delicate rawness that makes Southsiders one of the most resilient tribes in the fight against systematic oppression,” the filmmaker explains.'-- NOWNESS

Poets, Priests, Martyrs: Henry Dumas, Joseph Jarman, MLK

'The Black Radical tradition carries a legacy of artist-driven utopian visions that have taken the form of free schools, collectives, and informal think tanks wherein black artists of all genres across the diaspora endeavored to take control of knowledge production. "Poets, Priests, Martyrs: Henry Dumas, Joseph Jarman, MLK" marks the first in a series of collaborations between MOCA and writer and artist Harmony Holiday titled “Return from Exile.” This edition features musician R.A.P.ferreira live alongside a recitation of poems by writer Henry Dumas (1934–68), who was killed by police in the same year that Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Treating his poems as song and refrain, the evening will be a celebration of the poetics of return and his lasting influence on generations of musicians and thinkers. And in the spirit of Dr. King, a legendary recording of a Dumas poem read by the late jazz musician and composer Joseph Jarman (1937–2019), and a recording of a moving piece by drummer Max Roach made in King’s honor will be played.' -- MOCA

In This Room: Rapsody Talks New Album, Tomboy Fly Style, Dating Life & More

'Grammy nominated rapper Rapsody sat down with MadameNoire to breakdown her tomboy fly style, what she's working on, what she loves about being a woman, and whether or not she's dating.'

Wyatt Cenac Shakes Up Late Night with a Deep Dive on Education

'Comedian Wyatt Cenac  is probably best known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show. But long before he made it to television, Cenac was a high school student in Dallas, Texas, at a private school where most of the kids were white. Today, Cenac says, "coming out of that educational experience, I definitely felt like I lacked a lot as far as the social growth that I would have liked from an education." For the new season of his HBO show, Wyatt Cenac's Problem Areas, Cenac is doing a deep dive into education across the United States, from teachers’ strikes to school safety.  The Takeaway sat down with Cenac to learn more about how his own school experience shaped his perspective on the education debates currently taking place across the country.' -- The Takeaway

Fighting White Supremacy with a Celebration of Blackness

'People around the world are grappling with the rise of white-supremacist fueled attacks and white nationalist rhetoric, which often leaves more questions than answers on how to move forward. According to authors Akiba Solomon and Kenrya Rankin, if you are black in America, the answer is to celebrate it in a wide range of ways, collected in their new book, How We Fight White Supremacy.  "One of the things that sits at the core of white supremacy is anti-blackness," Rankin told WNYC's cultural critic Rebecca Carroll. "So what's the opposite of that? Loving on ourselves".' -- WNYC News
         
       

Meet the Women Shaping Southern Hip-Hop

'Southern hip-hop is traditionally a male-dominated space — but that doesn't stop women like La Chat, Gangsta Boo and bbymutha, three rappers who unapologetically own their feminine identities in their lives and music to blaze a new trail. They represent the past, present and future of hip-hop, and empower a new wave of artists like Rico Nasty to make the game their own. Get to know these women changing the face of rap one track at a time.' -- Red Bull Music & Culture

Should College Athletes Be Paid?: A Conversation with Etan Thomas

'After another year of March Madness, the debate continues over paying college athletes. According to a new survey, more Americans think athletes should be compensated beyond just an academic scholarship. Soledad O’Brien sits down with Etan Thomas, a former NBA and NCAA basketball star, who says players may have to go on strike to get it.' -- Matter of Fact