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The Soul of Hip-Hop

Mark Anthony Neal, a professor of black popular culture at Duke, shares his thoughts on the connection between soul music and hip-hop.

It is not unusual to hear strains of Nina Simone in the music of rap artist Talib Kweli or to hear the soul of Curtis Mayfield sampled in the music of Grammy Award-winner Kanye West. But perhaps two of the best examples of borrowing from the past can be found in the music of North Carolina-based producer 9th Wonder and drummer Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, a member of The Roots.

?uestlove will come to Duke's campus on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The event, "In Conversation: Hip-Hop Sampling Soul," begins at 7 p.m. at the Nasher Museum of Art auditorium. A performance and dance party in Nasher's Great Hall will follow the conversation.

Both 9th Wonder and ?uestlove (pronounced quest-love) are evidence that the powerful legacy of soul music is alive and well in contemporary hip-hop culture. At a time when mainstream media demonizes hip-hop, many believe the hip-hop generation must be unappreciative of the cultural expressions that came before them.

Not only are some hip-hop artists aware of the musical past, but they find value in it.

Little Brother, 9th Wonder's former group, named its 2005 album "The Chittlin' Circuit 1.5," a reference to segregated jook-joints and dancehalls of the Jim Crow era. Soul musicians as diverse as Solomon Burke, Lou Donaldson and Etta James cut their teeth as performers on the chitlin' circuit. A pioneer of hip-hop sampling, 9th Wonder imagined its experiences while "digging in the crates," literally sifting through record collections to find beats to sample.

As a drummer, ?uestlove's homage to soul is a bit more nuanced and organic. The son of Lee Andrews of Lee Andrews & the Hearts, a famous doo-wop singer of the 1950s, ?uestlove's influences are as varied as the artists he has worked with, including Jill Scott, D'Angelo and Al Green. ?uestlove acknowledges that the drum solo he takes at the end of the Roots' biggest hit single, "You Got Me," was in tribute to the late James Brown drummer Jabo Starks.

?uestlove and 9th Wonder not only represent the evolution of soul music, but the ability of young people to see themselves as creative forces.

Event: In Conversation: Hip-Hop Sampling Soul

Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. in the Nasher Museum of Art auditorium, followed by performance and dance party in the Great Hall at 9 p.m. Free.

Information: http://dukeperformances.duke.edu