Like poppa, like son: Rodney Carmichael
Like poppa, like son. Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPR hide caption
Like poppa, like son.
Amanda Howell Whitehurst for NPRAll season long, Louder has been looking inward at how a culture created by the marginalized became such a marginalizing force to so many within it. For host Rodney Carmichael, interrogating misogynoir in hip-hop comes with some questions for himself — as a man, a father and a long-time lover and critic of the culture.
As he thinks about raising the next generation without replicating his mistakes, Rodney deeply considers how to introduce his first love to his 3-year-old son. And that consideration means looking more closely at what hip-hop meant to him growing up, and how it shaped his views on masculinity.
On this episode, something a little different: part meditation, part conversation — between Rodney, Sidney and writers Kiese Laymon and Jamilah Lemieux — about beats, rhymes and life. Rodney traces his relationship with the rap dads who raised him from a kid growing up in the Dirty South, to a teenage naval enlistee stationed on the West Coast, and back home to Atlanta as a music editor contextualizing the culture years later. Now, as a parent, he wonders: Can rap be a tool he uses to cultivate a version of masculinity in his son that's less harmful — to himself and others?
To follow along with the music in this episode, check out the Louder Than A Riot playlists on Apple Music & Spotify. We'll update them every week.
To connect with us, follow the show on Twitter @LouderThanARiot, or send us an email at louder@npr.org.
Audio story produced by Sam J. Leeds
Audio story edited by Soraya Shockley
Audio story engineered by Gilly Moon
Podcast theme and original music by Suzi Analogue, Ramtin Arablouei and Kassa Overall
Fact-checking by Greta Pittenger