What Does Black Ambition Sound Like?

This is the last episode of Notes from America with Kai Wright.If you’ve been with the show through its multi-year history and iterations as a NYC-based narrative podcast and local call-in show called The United States of Anxiety before becoming a nationally distributed program, ...  Show more

The drumbeat of Washington, D.C. and the surrounding area is not politics. It’s go-go music.The genre developed by Chuck Brown in 1976 features syncopated rhythms, a large ensemble of musicians and a rich drum beat to create a live experience that has fans dancing ’till they can' ...  Show more

Black music, forged in captivity, became the sound of complete artistic freedom. It also became the sound of America. On today’s episode: Wesley Morris, a critic-at-large for The New York Times.“1619” is a New York Times audio series hosted by Nikole Hannah-Jones. You can find mo ...  Show more

The so-called Black National Anthem was composed in 1900, and it’s provided a soundtrack to Black life ever since. For this special Black History Month episode, CNN’s Don Lemon speaks with Rep. James Clyburn, historian Prof. Imani Perry, and Howard University choir conductor Eric ...  Show more

“My men never retire. They go forward, or they die!”This is the story of the 15th New York, a.k.a, the 369th, or the Harlem Hellfighters.James “Big Jim” Europe is one of the most talented musicians in the world. His ragtime and early jazz sounds electrify New York City. That’s ex ...  Show more

During World War One the 369th Infantry Regiment of the US Army gained a fearsome reputation. One of the most effective fighting units they spent more time in the frontline and suffered more casualties than any other American regiment. Given the nickname Men of Bronze by the Fren ...  Show more