Mark Anthony Neal

Professor of African and African American Studies at Duke University

Mark Anthony Neal appears in the following:

Black Comedy From Dick Gregory to the Present

Friday, February 09, 2024

Black comedy as a tool for activism and social change.

'We Can Rock The World's Foundation': 1971 And Black Music In Revolt

Friday, May 21, 2021

By Mark Anthony Neal : Professor of African and African American Studies at Duke University

The tension and loss that drove Marvin Gaye wasn't lost on his peers: In the same year as What's Going On, a wave of Black artists released explosive new work that put its politics front and center.

Comment

Ronnie Dyson: A Transitional Soul Figure Lost To Time

Thursday, April 23, 2020

By Mark Anthony Neal : Professor of African and African American Studies at Duke University / Phil Harrell

For One-Hit Wonders/Second-Best Songs, Mark Anthony Neal recommends Ronnie Dyson's "Ain't Nothing Wrong." He's known mostly for 1970's "(If You Let Me Make Love to You Then) Why Can't I Touch You?"

Comment

Bill Withers' Legacy Is So Much Deeper Than The Hits We All Know

Saturday, April 04, 2020

By Mark Anthony Neal : Professor of African and African American Studies at Duke University

Generations of listeners have celebrated the signature songs of the artist who died this week at 81. But Withers' greater catalog reveals a man who stuck to his beliefs in the face of the pop machine.

Comment

Oreo: A Comeback Story

Friday, July 17, 2015

“Oreo,” Fran Ross’s 1974 novel about a biracial teen’s search for her father, was a misfit for its times.  More than 40 years later, are audiences finally ready for this satirical tale?

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B.B. King And The Majesty Of The Blues

Saturday, May 16, 2015

By Mark Anthony Neal : Professor of African and African American Studies at Duke University

More than 25 years ago, Stanley Crouch wrote the sermon "Premature Autopsies," which was dutifully delivered by Trinity United's Rev. Jeremiah Wright (likely around the same time he met a young Barack Obama) on Wynton Marsalis's 1989 recording Majesty of the Blues. The centerpiece of Crouch's sermon, which ...

Comment

What's the Difference Between "Rap" and "Hip Hop"?

Monday, May 20, 2013

In this second installment of our musical mysteries series, Soundcheck contributor Faith Salie attempts to discern rap from hip hop. She talks with Duke University professor Mark Anthony Neal about the difference between the two terms -- which, as it turns out, is fairly complex. 

"When we talk about hip hop, we're talking about a larger cultural experience," says Neal. "Rap music is part of that larger aspect of hip hop culture, but it's also the part of the culture that's perhaps most visible and most well known to the average person."

Salie and Neal discuss the origins of the terms and how they've evolved over time. And, Neal tells us which categories artists like Will Smith, KRS-One, Nas and Eminem fall into. 

How do you define the terms "rap" and "hip hop"? Leave a comment below. 

Comments [3]

Smackdown: High Voices vs. Low Voices

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Which do you prefer -- the high-pitched wails of Mariah Carey, Prince, and Brian Wilson? Or the throaty roars of Barry White, Leonard Cohen, and Nina Simone? In this week's Soundcheck Smackdown, high voices face off against low ones to determine which makes for better music.

Joining ...

Comments [50]

Rapper's Delight: 30 Years Later

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

The Sugar Hill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" hit the disco and pop charts 30 years ago this week, transforming hip-hop from live street perfomance to a mainstream moneymak...

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What is a Musical Genius?

Thursday, October 01, 2009

The word "genius" is used and abused in our culture. Musicians are praised as “genius” after a great album and terms like “boy genius” and “evil genius” resonate in popular culture. Today -- a week after the MacArthur “Genius” Awards were granted -- we ask: just what is genius? Joining ...

Comments [29]

Rep. Joe Wilson and the Race Conversation

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Despite hopes that electing our first black president would usher in a "post-racial" era, race has become a prominent issue in the Obama presidency. From overt cases – the Henry Louis...

Comments [16]

Pop Violence

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

The lives and lyrics of pop music are filled with domestic violence. The latest chapter: an alleged assault involving pop stars Rihanna and Chris Brown. Today we discuss the history of abuse in pop recordings -- and in real life. We're joined by Elizabeth Mendez Berry, a music journalist who ...

Comments [30]

Establishing a Hip Hop Canon

Monday, November 12, 2007

After three decades, hip hop is more segmented than ever, by both regional styles (East Coast, West Coast, Dirty South) and in stylistic terms (Gangsta rap, conscious hip-hop, "alternative" rap). From these many parts a canon is emerging and today we debate its meaning. Joining us is Mark Anthony Neal, ...

Comments [6]

Establishing a Hip Hop Canon

Friday, June 29, 2007

As hip hop reaches its 30th year, the genre is more segmented than ever, by both regional styles (East Coast, West Coast, Dirty South) and in stylistic terms (Gangsta rap, conscious hip-hop, "alternative" rap). From these many parts a canon is emerging and today we debate its meaning. Joining us ...

Comments [5]

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