Hip Hop Can Save America

Manny Faces speaks with Jamila Sams , a passionate and visionary educator who is deeply committed to harnessing the transformative power of education to uplift communities. At the heart of her pedagogy lies a profound connection to Hip Hop culture, which she sees as a vital instrument for enriching the learning experience and fostering liberation. Seeing a need to intertwine cultural relevance wit...

Representative Jamaal Bowman from New York joins Manny Faces to delve into the mission of the newly launched "Hip Hop Task Force" on Capitol Hill, exploring how Hip Hop culture can be leveraged to effect change in politics and society. Ranging from the intersection of Hip Hop and social justice to the progressive vision for America, this in-depth discussion sheds light on the cultural, political,...

"As We Speak: Rap Music on Trial" is a documentary / dramatization currently airing on Paramount+. On this excerpt from the "Hip-Hop Can Save America!" Livestream Show, host Manny Faces delves deep into the intersection of hip hop, activism, and social justice with the film's director, J.M. Harper, and Bronx, NY-based rapper Kemba, who is the face of the documentary. This timely conversation under...

In this episode of "Hip Hop Can Save America," Manny Faces sits with Dr. Toby Jenkins, who reveals the secret power of "The Hip Hop Mindset" in helping shape leaders and revolutionize education. From activism to self-help to leadership, her book "The Hip Hop Mindset: Success Strategies for Educators and Other Professionals," explores Hip Hop an an unsung hero of professional success. Can the princ...

We welcome Hip Hop academic Dr. Murray Forman to discuss "That's The Joint: The Hip Hop Studies Reader," the groundbreaking book on Hip Hop studies. This deep dive episode examines how the book, now in its third edition, serves as a crucial resource for bringing structured, scholarly attention to Hip Hop in educational spaces. In addition, the two discuss Forman's work chronicling the advancement...

The 4th Annual Hip Hop Music Pedagogy Workshop, February 24, 2024 REGISTER: https://wsmamusic.org/4th-annual-hip-hop-pedagogy-for-music-educators/ In this excerpt from "Hip Hop Can Save America," Manny Faces chats with Randy Swiggum about the upcoming workshop featuring nine power-packed sessions for music educators. They delve into the legacy of the late Jarritt Sheel and his groundbreaking ideas...

In this inspiring episode of "Hip Hop Can Save America," we sit down with the incredible Dr. Adia Winfrey, a transformative figure at the intersection of Hip Hop and political activism. Dr. Winfrey shares her groundbreaking work on empowering the youth through the H.Y.P.E. (Healing Young People thru Empowerment) curriculum and her influential role in redistricting efforts in Alabama. As an avid ad...

In this episode of Hip Hop Can Save America!, host Manny Faces welcomes author and Hip Hop culture advocate Nadirah Simmons to discuss her book "First Things First: Hip-Hop Ladies Who Changed the Game." Simmons discusses the need for women in Hip Hop to have the freedom to create music on their own terms and the importance of recognizing the often underappreciated contributions of women to the gen...

In this episode of "Hip Hop Can Save America," host Manny Faces engages in a powerful conversation with guest UnLearn The World about the transformative power of Hip Hop culture. They discuss how Hip Hop has the ability to uplift communities and individuals, serving as a catalyst for personal and societal change. UnLearn The World shares insightful perspectives, addressing the remix culture within...

Manny Faces welcomes Dr. Jason "J. Rawls" Rawls to the show. Dr. Rawls is a long-time producer, DJ, author and educator, and is now the Assistant Professor of Hip Hop at THE Ohio State University, developing curricula for a Hip Hop minor program. Some key topics covered: 1. Hip Hop Beyond Music: Cultural Diversity - Embracing the multifaceted aspects of Hip Hop culture, including dance, visual art...

The discussions and celebrations around #HipHop50 and the Hip Hop 50th anniversary were great, but missed a lot. To fully appreciate its golden anniversary, we must consider that Hip Hop's greatest contribution to humanity isn’t any of its singular or collective elements. Instead, it lies in Hip Hop’s intersection with other aspects of the human experience, and how its unique artistic, cultural an...

There is an initiative that was created and launched by two folks over at Google, developed during their 20% time -- the time that Google allows employees the resources and leeway to work on projects of their own choosing. Gmail, as it happens, was once someone’s 20% time project. In any event, what started out as PythonMC and is now called breakbeatcode , is one of my favorite intersections of Hi...

For years, Don Sikorski has studied the murder of Biggie Smalls, aka The Notorious, aka Christopher Wallace. So have a lot of people. The stories about what happened, why it happened, who’s to blame, and why there hasn’t been justice, are all over the place. There are enough twists and turns to those questions, it sounds like a movie. And it was. 2018’s "City of Lies" starred Johnny Depp and Fores...

On this episode of the world's most enlightening Hip Hop podcast, Dr. Raphael Travis Jr. joins us to talk about the healing power of Hip Hop , including his seminal book. "The Healing Power of Hip Hop," which explores the therapeutic and empowering aspects of hip hop culture. Dr. Travis takes us on a journey through the unique importance of Hip Hop to help society, particularly communities of colo...

If you’re like me, you first heard Masta Ace as the lead off to what many, like me, will say is the best posse cut in Hip Hop history, "The SYmphony." As one of his bars predicted, Masta Ace’s rapping did stay with us for a while. A long while. Now 32 years since the release of his debut full-length Take A Look Around , Masta Ace has a discography that surpasses most of his peers, he's welcomed in...

On this brief update episode, creator and host Manny Faces talks about what's next for the Hip-Hop Can Save America! podcast. (HINT: It has to do with going live!) Hip-Hop Can Save America! with Manny Faces is a Manny Faces Media production, in association with The Center for Hip-Hop Advocacy. Links and resources: SHOW WEBSITES: https://www.hiphopcansaveamerica.com MANNY FACES: https://www.mannyfa...

"If our democracy is to survive, the empire must be dismantled.” That’s what Dr. Cornel West told Manny Faces and his colleagues at News Beat in an exclusive, wide-ranging interview in which he talked about dismantling systems of oppression, uplifting the poor and working class, ending America’s military industrial complex, and abolishing poverty, homelessness, and prisons. West, who is vying for...

Dr. A.D. Carson, who is Associate Professor of Hip Hop at the University of Virginia, received quite a bit of well deserved acclaim for his dissertation, “Owning My Masters: The Rhetorics of Rhymes & Revolutions,” which was delivered as an exceptional rap album. But first and foremost, AyDeeTheGreat is a rapper, an artist, and sits in a unique position with one foot in the music world, and ano...

Mikal Amin Lee is a three time visitor to the show, which isn’t a surprise when you learn about all he does. As an artist, he’s toured the world and dropped dozens of projects and features. As an educator, he’s taught and lectured about Hip Hop pedagogy and anthropology, as a writer and essayist he’s edited Hip Hop studies journal, “Words, Beats & Life,” and “Equity and Excellence in Education...

Rumble, DJ Akademiks and the hidden danger of platforming so-called "Hip Hop" provocateurs -- Dark money, billionaire financiers, and a relentless digital machine designed specifically to 'mold' impressionable youth to adopt a right wing ideology are finding new, previously unreachable targets -- through Hip Hop. -------------------------- Hip-Hop Can Save America! with Manny Faces is a Manny Face...

Words, Beats & Life is a Hip Hop non-profit founded back in 2002. In its 20+ years, it has evolved and expanded, offering classes, workshops, showcases, festivals and conferences, not to mention creating the first peer-reviewed academic Hip Hop journal, and now, anointing the first ever 'rap laureate.' (SPOILER ALERT: It's Lupe Fiasco.) Under the leadership of founding executive director, Mazi...

Zeps is an independent rapper / Hip Hop artist / event host from Brooklyn, New York who has brought his unique brand of artistry around the world, and into multiple business and entrepreneurship settings. While he continues to make music, his current focus is expanding the Rhymosaurs children's book series that he created. Hear how the streets of New York City -- and of Europe -- helped Zeps maint...

Hip Hop Cinderella is a modern -- and futuristic -- twist on the classic tale, complete with rap battles, a brilliantly feisty and courageous Cinderella, and yea, an evil stepmother and all that too. But several important factors separate this version from the original, and it seems to make for a fun, family-friendly, uplifting and empowering show. Helping propel this latest Hip Hop theater extrav...

It’s a Hip Hop party game, but it ain’t trivia. Everyone thinks they have the right answer, but there are NO right answers. It’s the barbershop / lunchroom / nail salon type of Hip Hop discussions we’ve been having all our lives, but instead of wildly lashing out on message boards, social media, or Clubhouse, here, you’re with friends. And here, you also might get drunk. A.V. Perkins is the co-fou...

Earlier this winter, I was contacted by Jay Hill and the team at Brooklyn Rising, as they were looking to invite prominent Hip Hop heads and organizations to Restoration Plaza on New Year’s Eve for the second annual Brooklyn Rising – a celebration similar to the big Times Square to-do, but with a brilliant ball rising instead of falling… way more locals than tourists… and in support of a cause mea...