Murray Forman

Home Is Where the Heart of Hip-Hop Is

“People like Dr. Dre and Grandmaster Flash, they’ll talk about their mom’s, dad’s, uncle’s, aunt’s record collections, that they sometimes were forbidden to touch, but they did anyway,” said Murray Forman, a media and screen studies professor at Northeastern University and the author of “The ‘Hood Comes First: Race, Space and Place in Rap and […]

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How an Israeli TikToker’s little-known song became the soundtrack to emotional wartime reunions

“Music can produce shared allegiances and feelings of unity. In times of extreme crisis, people turn to the music that they most need as an attempt to stabilize their emotions [so they can] continue and persist,” says Murray Forman, professor of Media & Screen Studies at Northeastern University in Boston.

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After charged year, Grammys inch closer to inclusion

“A lot of fans and audiences are coming into contact with new artists and forms that were on the edge of their taste palate,” said Murray Forman, a professor at Northeastern University in Boston. Forman also pointed to rising stars such as Khalid and Lil Uzi Vert, both up for Best New Artist, who came […]

An academic’s pursuit of hip-hop culture: The beat goes on

The Boston Business Journal interviewed Murray Forman, professor at Northeastern University’s College of Arts, Media and Design, about his life work and field of study in hip-hop culture.

Sound check: Hip-hop drawing academic interest in Boston and beyond

“There are so many dimensions to the culture,” said Murray Forman, a media studies professor at Northeastern University in Boston. “It’s really rich for analysis in all kinds of contexts.” Some scholars still question whether hip-hop has a place in academia, but its acceptance is growing, said Forman, who was a Nasir Jones fellow last […]

At UMass and beyond, hip-hop draws growing academic interest

“There are so many dimensions to the culture,” said Murray Forman, a media studies professor at Northeastern University. “It’s really rich for analysis in all kinds of contexts.” Some scholars still question whether hip-hop has a place in academia, but its acceptance is growing, said Forman, who was a Nasir Jones fellow last year. University […]

Who rules hip hop’s past?

Any debate about a canon is also a debate about who owns a culture. Hip-hop, in a sense, belongs to the world now, but it arose as the organic expression of a real urban community with its own concerns, identity, and values. “For aging hip-hop heads, the music, dance, and art of hip-hop literally changed […]

‘We’ve got news for you:’ Senegalese rappers tackle Syria, current events in news show

The “Journal Rappe” program shows just how innovative hip-hop artists remain in Senegal, says Murray Forman, an associate professor of media and screen studies at Northeastern University. “They’re taking it to some different place, a place we don’t commonly see hip-hop which I think is fun and exciting,” he said after watching their programs online. […]