On this date we explore Rap music. RAP is urban music that grew out of the hip-hop movement of the South Bronx, New York, in the 1970s. It blends rhythmic instrumental tracks created by a disc jockey, with the spoken, rhyming lyrics of an MC, (Rapper).
learn more*Sue Jorge was born on this date in 1970. He is an Afro Brazilian musical artist, songwriter, and actor. Jorge Mário da Silva (his birth name) was the firstborn of four children in Belford Roxo, Rio de Janeiro. According to a DNA test, Seu Jorge is 85.1% African, 12.9% European, and 2% Amerindian. He belongs to haplogroup […]
learn more*Touré was born on this date in 1971. He is a Black author, journalist, cultural critic, and television personality. From Boston, MA., Touré Neblett’s father, Roy E. Neblett, was an accountant and a member of the personal staff of Boston mayor Kevin White. Touré’s parents met while Roy was studying at Suffolk University Law School, […]
learn more*Blaxploitation in media (video/film) is affirmed on this date in 1971. Often called blacksploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The films, while popular, endured backlash for disproportionate numbers of stereotypical film characters showing bad or questionable motives, including most roles as criminals resisting arrest. However, the genre ranks first […]
learn moreTupac Shakur was born on this date in 1971. He was an African American RAP artist.
learn more*On this date in 1971, Soul Train aired on television. This African American music-dance television program aired in syndication until March 27, 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, Soul, dance/pop, and hip-hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists also appeared. The series was created by Don Cornelius, who also served as its first host and […]
learn more*Snoop Doggy Dogg was born on this date in 1971. He is a Black rapper, songwriter, media personality, actor, and entrepreneur. He was born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. in Long Beach, California, to Vernell Varnado and Beverly Tate. His father, a Vietnam War veteran, singer, and mail carrier, left the family only three months after […]
learn more*Alice Bah Kuhnke was born on this date in 1971. She is an Afro Swedish (Black Swede) politician and former actress. Alice Bah grew up in Horda in Småland, Sweden, the daughter of a Gambian father and a Swedish mother. She attended a track-and-field-oriented high school in Växjö and was one of the country’s best female sprinters […]
learn more*Maya Rudolph was born on this date in 1972. She is a Black actress, comedian, and singer. Maya Khabira Rudolph was born in Gainesville, Florida, to singer-songwriter Minnie Riperton and composer Richard Rudolph. Her mother was black, and her father was white-Ashkenazi Jewish. Her paternal grandfather was Sidney Rudolph, a philanthropist who once owned all […]
learn more*Ava DuVernay was born on this date in 1972. She is a Black filmmaker and film distributor. Ava Marie DuVernay is from Long Beach, California. Her mother, Darlene Sexton, an educator, and her stepfather, Murray Maye, raised her. Her biological father’s surname, Joseph Marcel DuVernay III, originates from Louisiana. She grew up in Lynwood, California. She has four brothers and sisters. In 1990, […]
learn more*On this date in 1973, The Spook Who Sat by the Door (film) debuted in Chicago. This action crime–drama film was based on the 1969 novel by Sam Greenlee. On August 22, 1973, there was a benefit premiere at the Maryland Theatre on the South Side of Chicago and a sneak preview at the Woods […]
learn more*Dave Chappelle was born on this date in 1973. He is a Black stand-up comedian and actor. David Khari Webber Chappelle was born in Washington, D.C. His father, William David Chappelle III, was a professor of vocal performance and the dean of students at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. His mother, Yvonne Seon, worked […]
learn moreThe birth of Aaron McGruder in 1974 is celebrated on this date. He is an African American cartoonist and social commentator through media.
learn more*Ken Sibanda was born on this date in 1975. He is an African American constitutional attorney, writer and film director.
learn more*Rashida Jones was born on this date in 1976. She is a Black Jewish actress, director, writer, and producer. Rashida Leah Jones was born in Los Angeles, California. Her mother was actress Peggy Lipton, and her father is musician/record producer Quincy Jones. She is the younger sister of actress and model Kidada Jones. Jones’s father is […]
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