What were the various developments in black culture, the arts, and intellectual leanings during the 1980s and 1990s? Who were some of the major figures?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ideal Answer: The ideal answer should:
1. Describe the origin of rap music and the rise of gangsta rap which was critical of discrimination, unfair policing, and the general problems of the inner city.
2. Note that individuals such as Grandmaster Flash and Russell Simmons pioneered black participation in the recording of rap music, a departure from the days when whites owned the entire music recording industry.
3. Note the rise of Afrocentricity in higher education and the arts under pioneers like Moleki Kete Asante at Temple University.
4. Note that Toni Morrison and Alice Walker continued to write major works exploring black identity, history, and culture.
5. Note that black studies programs staffed by black professors serving as public intellectuals remains a visible component of black intellectual life.
6. Point out that immigration from the Caribbean, black feminism, and the black gay and lesbian movement added further diversity and cultural complexity to the African-American arts community and black culture.