Episode 243: Joan Morgan

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Joan is a writer who got her start in the 1990s, helping to create what came to be known as “hip-hop journalism” with her articles at places like Vibe and the Village Voice. Whether she was writing about the Mike Tyson trial, profiling TLC, or investigating the sex trade in Jamaica, Joan brought her keen, Bronx-raised sensibility to everything she touched.

Joan pioneered hip-hop feminism—and came up with the phrase “black girl magic,” to boot—in her classic 1999 book When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks It Down. And now she has a brand new book, a reflection on Ms. Lauryn Hill’s classic debut album. It’s called She Begat This: 20 Years of the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Tracks featured in this episode:

1. Ms. Lauryn Hill, “Lost Ones”
2. Ms. Lauryn Hill, “Everything Is Everything”
3. Jamaican Labor Party, “JLP Anthem”
4. Clancy Eccles, “Freedom”
5. Delroy Wilson, “Better Must Come”
6. Buju Banton, “Searching”
7. Cream, “I’m So Glad”
8. Gutta Twins, “Issa Vibe”
9. Leader The Real World - MTV series 1 in New York
10. CB4, “Sweat Of My Balls”
11. Benzino, “Rock the Party”
12. 2Pac - Lets Get It On Super High Quality Mike Tyson Intro song for Tyson vs Seldon
13. The Fieldstones, “The Fieldstones”
14. Ethic, “Saba”
15. Madonna, “Lucky Star”
16. How Video Models Changed The Game w/ Karrine Steffans, Melyssa Ford & More | VIXEN.
17. Usher f/Lil Jon and Ludacris, “Yeah!”
18. Ogechi, “Blvck + Womvn (Body Pg. 1)”
19. Ms. Lauryn Hill f/Carlos Santana, “To Zion”
20. Whitney Houston, “Exhale - Shoop Shoop”
21. Chrisette Michele, “Black Girl Magic”
22. Ms. Lauryn Hill, “Neurotic Society (Compulsory Mix)”
23. Pink Floyd, “See Emily Play”

Show notes:

1. Vibe, Dec. 1993/Jan. 1994, “Pimper’s Paradise”
2. Vibe, October 1993, “No Apologies, No Regrets”
3. Vibe, November 1994, “The Fire This Time”