Mark Anthony Neal is currently the Chair of the Department of African & African American Studies and the founding director of the Center for Arts, Digital Culture and Entrepreneurship (CADCE) at Duke University where he offers courses on Black Masculinity, Popular Culture, and Digital Humanities, including signature courses on Michael Jackson & the Black Performance Tradition, and The History of Hip-Hop, which he co-teaches with Grammy Award Winning producer 9th Wonder (Patrick Douthit). Along with co-directing the Duke Council on Race and Ethnicity, Dr. Neale is an avid writer and also the co-editor of That’s the Joint: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader and the host of the hit video webcast Left of Black, which is produced in collaboration with the John Hope Franklin Center at Duke. Being around someone who is a jack of all trades is honor so thank you for being here with me today Dr. Neale.