Social Issues

We Invented the Remix, Part II

November 8, 2018November 7, 2018 Chris SunamiHip Hop

Last time, we looked at hip-hop sampling as a outgrowth of African polyphony, a way of creating something new by placing a different and contrasting line over the original. But there is more to it[…]

Black Music As Philosophy: We Invented the Remix, Part I

November 1, 2018October 31, 2018 Chris SunamiHip Hop

Hip-hop music is unique. It has been multiracial from the start, and it has been embraced and naturalized all over the globe, and yet it still retains a basic, unbreakable connection with its natal black[…]

image by Natilles

Not Playing the Background

October 18, 2018October 18, 2018 Chris SunamiMusic

Out of all the great black American talents, the ones who have arguably fared the best are the singers and musicians. While it may only be a fraction of what they deserve, they have at[…]

Image by Allison Adams

Zora Neale Hurston and the Problem of Audience

July 26, 2018July 30, 2018 Chris SunamiArt

My first real understanding of the power of affinity on attention came in 9th grade. When my teacher assigned a project called “The African-European Connection,” I was enthralled by history for the first time, as[…]

Top 10 Movies: #1 – Children of Men

July 19, 2018July 18, 2018 Chris SunamiBest

Repost: Just rewatched this amazing film recently, and what once felt like a warning from the near future now feels ripped from the headlines… Today, most people know director Alfonso Cuarón as the first Latino[…]

image by Sarah Carolan

2018 US Midterm Elections

July 5, 2018July 5, 2018 Chris SunamiPolitics

First, a couple of disclaimers. There are many issues I’m conservative on, and some I’m increasingly conservative on. I’ve voted for Republicans in the past, and I’m have a wealth of complaints about the Democratic[…]

"Octavia Butler" by Sandy Oppenheimer

Kindred

June 28, 2018June 27, 2018 Chris SunamiIdentity

Repost in honor of Butler’s birthday, and her selection for a Google Doodle: The late, great Octavia Butler was best-known as a rare black female superstar in a genre –science-fiction –largely dominated by white men.[…]

Image by Leo and Diane Dillon

Wokepedia: Justice Trilogy

June 7, 2018May 26, 2018 Chris SunamiLiterature

Fourth in my “Wokepedia” series of case studies of consciousness-raising Wikipedia edits. The Justice Trilogy: This week’s entry, the “Justice Trilogy,” is a little more involved, because it included not only creating a brand-new page[…]