Allies

Rapper and journalist David Shanks (aka Traum Diggs) and professor/author Mickey Hess have joined forces to celebrate and discuss their love of Hip Hop music and culture in their podcast A Guest in the House. What takes this duo’s conversations to another level is their frank and honest examination of the broader issues of the ownership and appreciation of art, and what they can teach us about the social, cultural and racial complexities of our world. This far-ranging discussion delves into how our upbringing impacts our appreciation of art, how creativity changes throughout our lives and the differences between appropriation and appreciation of hip hop culture.

Show Notes

David Shanks, aka Traum Diggs, is an MC/writer/journalist from Brooklyn, NY. He began writing articles in 2005, contributing correspondent features for print and online publications and has participated in conferences and panels at several colleges and universities including Rider University and SUNY- Rockland. He has also contributed chapters in Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide; Expressive Writing: Classroom and Community; and St. James Encyclopedia of Hip-Hop Culture. David is also founder of The People vs. The Anti-People, a website dedicated to promoting unity, love, self-determination and community empowerment. His independent album releases include Jazz Hop, Major Journalism, and Jazz Hop II.   A more complete discography is available at traumdiggs.com .

Social:
traumdiggs.com 
IG:  @traumdiggs
Twitter:  @traumdiggs 


Dr. Mickey Hess is Professor of English at Rider University and the author of A Guest in the House of Hip-Hop: How Rap Music Taught a Kid from Kentucky What a White Ally Should Be. With rapper and producer Buddha Monk, Mickey co-authored The Dirty Version: On Stage, in the Studio, and in the Streets with Ol' Dirty Bastard. His other books include Big Wheel at the Cracker Factory; Is Hip-Hop Dead? The Past, Present, and Future of America’s Most Wanted Music; and the edited collections Icons of Hip-Hop and Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide.

Social:
mickeyhess
Twitter:  @mickeyhess


Additional music Courtesy of Traum Diggs:
"Untold Stories" by Traum Diggs

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Music courtesy of Dan Rodriguez:
"The Allies Theme" by Dan Rodriguez

What is Allies?

Allies is a podcast that brings together people of diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and experience to share their stories of success, of failure and of forging their paths in life. We dive head first into tough issues like race, privilege and justice to find the similarities and differences among us that make life interesting and challenging. It’s awkward, honest and real, the kind of conversations we need now more than ever.