Topic and Guests: Hip Hop as Critical Consciousness.  Africa Now!'s topic today is Hip Hop as Critical Consciousness in the spirit of African American Music Month also known as Black Music Month.  The show spotlights this topic as we remember and honor the youth of the June 16, 1976 Soweto Uprising against apartheid in South Africa—because of their action June 16 is known as the International Day of the African Child.  In an interactive session on Monday, June 15, 2015 sponsored by Africa World Now Project Dr. Jared Ball discussed: what hip hop is; the culture that hip hop reflects; how hip hop can be used as a force for change; hip hop as a platform for developing a critical human rights consciousness; and other related issues. 

Dr. Jared Ball is professor at Morgan State, also with the Real News Network and is the host and producer of I Mix What I Like on WPFW on Fridays at 10:00am.   Africa Now! features a segment of that discussion at Busboys and Poets which was moderated by Dr. James Pope of Africa World Now Project and Executive Producer of Africa Now!  Other participants of the discussion included Tim Jones, Ka’ba Akintunde, and Tim Hicks of the Cornel West Theory.  The full discussion is available at www.imixwhatilike.org. 

Originally broadcast on WPFW 89.3FM, Washington, DC.  Tune into Africa Now! live on WPFW 89.3 FM in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area or visit www.wpfwfm.org on Wednesdays from 1:00 to 2:00PM (Eastern).