Nationality American Spouse Maya Freelon Parents Molefi Kete Asante | Role Author Name M. Asante | |
 | ||
Occupation Writer, filmmaker, professor, rapper Alma mater UCLAUniversity of London, SOASLafayette College Books Buck: A Memoir, It's Bigger Than Hip Hop Movies The Black Candle, 500 Years Later, Motherland, Focused Digizine #1 Similar People Molefi Kete Asante, Owen 'Alik Shahadah, Pierce Freelon, Maulana Karenga, Kariamu Welsh Profiles | ||
MK Asante (born c. 1982) is an American author, filmmaker, recording artist, and professor at Morgan State University, being one of the youngest professors at the college. He is best known for his best-selling memoir Buck.
Contents
- Biography
- Books
- Films
- Lectures and essays
- Music
- Education and professorship
- Awards and honors
- Albums
- Features
- Singles
- Articles
- References
Biography
Born in Harare, Zimbabwe, and raised in Philadelphia, he is the son of scholar Molefi Kete Asante and choreographer Kariamu Welsh. Growing up he struggled with the disintegration of his family, the incarceration of his brother, and the city's urban decay. After being expelled from multiple schools, he discovered his talent for writing at 16 and decided to pursue it as a career.
Books
Asante is the author of four books, most notably Buck, a memoir about his troubled yet profound youth in Philadelphia. Buck was selected as a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick and made the Washington Post bestseller list in 2014 and 2015. Poet Maya Angelou, who mentored Asante, described Buck as:
"A story of surviving and thriving with passion, compassion, wit, and style."
His other books are the poetry collections, Beautiful. And Ugly Too and Like Water Running Off My Back and the creative nonfiction book It's Bigger Than Hip Hop.
Films
Asante is a Sundance Institute Feature Film Fellow for the movie adaptation of his memoir Buck. Asante wrote and produced the documentary 500 Years Later, a documentary about slavery which received the Breaking the Chains Award from the United Nations' UNESCO. Asante directed and produced The Black Candle, a documentary about Kwanzaa, co-written and narrated by Maya Angelou.
Lectures and essays
Asante has delivered numerous distinguished lectures, including the Yale University Master’s Tea; Vanderbilt University Walter R. Murray Jr. Lecture; Southern Methodist University Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture; and commencement addresses at UCLA, University of Wisconsin, Arizona State University, Vassar, and Harvard University.
Asante has lectured and performed in over 25 countries including at SWU Music & Arts in Brazil; on Robben Island in South Africa; and at the British Library in England.
Asante has written essays on art, Hip Hop, technology, and culture for USA Today, Huffington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, and the New York Times.
Music
Asante's debut music project, the Buck: Original Book Soundtrack, was released on May 14, 2015. The Soundtrack features hip-hop music by Asante and is inspired by his memoir Buck. Okayplayer wrote:
"Delivering realism as vivid as Nas‘ work on the seminal Illmatic LP, MK Asante has managed to churn out one of the most moving and visually brilliant rap projects to land in quite some time."
Rapper Talib Kweli called Asante "an incredible MC" and released the Buck Soundtrack on his Javotti Media record label.
Asante is featured on the song "Bangers", along with Halo, from the critically acclaimed album Indie 500 by Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder. Pitchfork called "Bangers" a "can't miss moment" on the album and wrote, "MK Asante captures the vibe nicely."
Education and professorship
Asante is a graduate of The Crefeld School. He studied film and literature at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, earned a BA in Africana Studies and English from Lafayette College, and an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from UCLA School of Theater Film and Television.
At 23, he joined the faculty of Morgan State University. He received tenure at 26 and is currently Associate Professor of creative writing and film in the Department of English and Language Arts.