This is America

This Week in Dystopia

The Grammys have been criticized for lacking diversity and not giving hip-hop artists their due. This year, Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, took home both song and record of the year awards. This is America, Glover's chart-topping song best known for its music video, has something to say about the state of the U.S. from gun violence to race. We sat down with Chris Lebron, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins, to talk about the significance of Glover's Grammy win in light of recent criticism as well as his no-show at the Awards. The conversation turns to the broader music scene, Janelle Monáe, Afrofuturism, and Kanye West.

Mentioned in the show
This is America Music Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY
Boston Review, What Happened to Kanye West?: http://bostonreview.net/race/christopher-lebron-what-happened-kanye-west
Boston Review, Janelle Monáe for President: http://bostonreview.net/race-literature-culture/chris-lebron-janelle-monae-president
Kanye West Interview with Charlamagne: http://digg.com/video/kanye-charlamange-interview
Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFK6k-pvXmI

Want more This Week in Dystopia? Don't forget to subscribe, follow This Week in Dystopia on Twitter: https://twitter.com/WeekinDystopia and like the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisWeekinDystopia/

This podcast is brought to you by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the Harvard Kennedy School.