Invisible Blackness with Adrian Younge

Roy Choi is the son of Korean immigrants. His culinary food truck empire built a bridge between race and socio-economic classes by normalizing eating in the streets of LA. In this episode, Roy and Adrian discuss the power of food justice and the meaningful dance between food and identity.

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Todd Boyd, aka "Notorious Ph.D." is a Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at USC. His critiques of Hip Hop and pop culture have guided a generation into a deeper understanding of the anatomy of the black experience.  In this episode Adrian Younge and Todd Boyd discuss Defining American, Racial Politics and the revolution of revisionist history occurring.

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Malcolm-Jamal Warner is an American actor, director, producer, musician, and writer. He is best known for his role as Theodore Huxtable on the NBC show The Cosby Show.  In this episode Adrian Younge and Malcolm have a vulnerable discussion about how the Huxtables redefined the public perception of the black family in America.

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Jeff Chang is a renowned historian, journalist, Stanford University Professor and critic on the music, culture and politics of hip hop. His books, Can't Stop Won't Stop, Who We Be, and We Gon' Be Alright have become acclaimed assets to the analysis and understanding of the culture. In this episode, Adrian and Jeff discuss hip hop's evolution from its community roots to its worldwide phenomena. 

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Born and raised in Ferguson Missouri, Keyon Harrold has always used his music to shed light on the social injustices against Black people. In this episode Adrian Younge and Keyon discuss the triple pandemic that Black Americans faced in 2020, SOHO Karen, and the evolution of the social justice movement in America. 

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As a revered writer and Hip Hop journalist, he helped to set the tone of how this burgeoning culture would be consumed and analyzed by the world. Moreover, Cheo Hodari Coker made a career out of explaining black culture to white people. In this episode, Adrian Younge and Cheo discuss black culture, and our responsibility to ensure the perseveration of our story.

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Multidisciplinary performer, producer and host Wayne Brady is the comedic force you may know as the black guy on "Whose line is it anyway”. As a renaissance talent with a brand that seduces mainstream America, he is our generation's Nat King Cole. In this week's episode Wayne and Adrian discuss the power of code switching, defining success and exploring the idea of blackness in America. 

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As a prolific multi instrumentalist and poetic intellectual, Meshell Ndegeocello’s music weaves together sensual sentiments, spinning storytelling and activism into its own (sub)genre of soul. In this episode Adrian speaks with Meshell about the concept of feminism, language and her role in the evolution of Black music. 

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A hero in the eyes of many, he began his journey as a special needs teacher.  Michael Jai White then became an international icon, a black super hero, with roles including Spawn and Black Dynamite. In this episode Adrian Younge and Michael discuss institutionalized racism, the challenges of being a black actor, and the benefits of the Blaxploitation Era.

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As Professor and Chair of Pan-African Studies at California State University, Los Angeles, Dr. Melina Abdullah is an expert on race, gender, class, and social movements. As a Co-founder and organizer of the Black Lives Matter movement she continues to inspire the Los Angeles chapter with her poignant intellect, passion and leadership. In this episode Adrian speaks with Dr. Abdullah about womanism, the work of dismantling White supremacy, and the role white allies must play in designing a healed America.

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