M. K. Asante (born November 3, 1982) is an American author, filmmaker, recording artist, and professor. He is the author of the 2013 best-selling memoir ''Buck''.Master storyteller M.K. Asante keeps it real in the classroom
CNN.com. Retrieved on June 23, 2017.

Early life and education

Born in

Harare Harare (; formerly Salisbury ) is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of 940 km2 (371 mi2) and a population of 2.12 million in the 2012 census and an estimated 3.12 million in its metropolitan ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

and raised in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Asante is the son of scholar

Molefi Kete Asante Molefi Kete Asante ( ; born Arthur Lee Smith Jr.; August 14, 1942) is an American professor and philosopher. He is a leading figure in the fields of African-American studies, African studies, and communication studies. He is currently professo ...

and choreographer Kariamu Welsh. Asante is a graduate of The Crefeld School. He studied film and literature at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

School of Oriental and African Studies SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury a ...

, earned a BA in Africana Studies and English from

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

, and an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from

UCLA School of Theater Film and Television The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (UCLA TFT), is one of the 12 schools within the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) located in Los Angeles, California. Its creation was groundbreaking in that it was the first time a leadi ...

Career

Books

Asante is the author of four books, most notably '' Buck'' (2013), a memoir about his troubled youth in Philadelphia. ''Buck'' was selected as a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick and made the ''

Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...

'' bestseller list in 2014 and 2015. It was also included on the In the Margins Book List in 2014. Poet Maya Angelou, who mentored Asante, described ''Buck'' as "a story of surviving and thriving with passion, compassion, wit, and style."

Films

Asante is a

Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers fr ...

Feature Film Fellow for the movie adaptation of his memoir ''Buck''. Asante wrote and produced the 2005 documentary ''

500 Years Later ''500 Years Later'' ( ') is a 2005 independent documentary film directed by Owen 'Alik Shahadah and written by M. K. Asante, Jr. It has won five international film festival awards in the category of Best Documentary, including the UNESCO "Brea ...

'', a documentary about slavery which received the Breaking the Chains Award from

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. Asante directed and produced ''

The Black Candle ''The Black Candle'' is a documentary film about Kwanzaa directed by M. K. Asante and narrated by Maya Angelou. The film premiered on cable television on Starz on November, 2012. Synopsis ''The Black Candle'' uses Kwanzaa Kwanzaa () is ...

'' (2012), a documentary about

Kwanzaa Kwanzaa () is an annual celebration of African-American culture from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called '' Karamu'', usually on the sixth day. It was created by activist Maulana Karenga, based on African harvest ...

, co-written and narrated by Maya Angelou.

Lectures and essays

Asante has delivered numerous lectures, including the

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

Master's Tea;

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

Walter R. Murray Jr. Lecture;

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , ...

Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture; and commencement addresses at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

, Arizona State University, Vassar, and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. Asante is featured in ''Changing America: 1968 and Beyond'', a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian

National Museum of African American History and Culture The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is a Smithsonian Institution museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in the United States. It was established in December 2003 and opened its permanent home in ...

. Asante has written essays on art, Hip Hop, technology, and culture for ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...

'', '' Huffington Post'', ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. The ...

'', and the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''.

Music

Asante is featured on the song "Bangers", along with Halo, from the album ''Indie 500'' by

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

and

9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is a Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known a ...

. He received

tenure Tenure is a category of academic appointment existing in some countries. A tenured post is an indefinite academic appointment that can be terminated only for cause or under extraordinary circumstances, such as financial exigency or program disco ...

at 26 and is currently Associate Professor of creative writing and film in the Department of English and Language Arts. In 2017, he was appointed to Distinguished Professor-in-Residence at the MICA (Institute of Strategic Marketing and Communication) in India. He is the recipient of the 2021 Morgan State University Distinguished Achievement Award.

TV Shows

Asante is the host and co-executive producer of '' While Black with MK Asante'', a docuseries produced by Snapchat. ''While Black with MK Asante'' takes the stories of America's black youth and gives them a platform in the smartphones of millions of America's teens. ''While Black with MK Asante'' has nearly 17 million viewers. Asante co-wrote the broadcast opens for the 2021 NBA Finals directed by

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

TV Performances

On November 30, 2020, he performed and debuted "We the Eagles" on

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

's NFL

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...

for a live audience of 11.4 million viewers. On May 29, 2021, he performed and debuted "Skate or D.I.E." at the 2021

Dew Tour The Dew Tour is an extreme sports circuit organized by the Adventure Sports Group, a subsidiary of American Media, LLC. History The tour was announced in late 2004, and made its debut in Louisville, KY in June 2005. The tour then made stops i ...

Skateboarding Olympic qualifier on NBC. On October 11, 2021, he co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in the intro for

's NFL

week 5 featuring the Indianapolis Colts Vs.

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

. In the intro, Asante is backed by the Morgan State University Marching Band and garnered 11.4 million viewers."ESPN's Monday Night Football Colts-Ravens Matchup Generates 11.4 Million Viewers, Another Year-Over-Year Audience Increase

Awards and honors

*2002 Jean Corrie Poetry Prize –

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreach ...

*2005 Best Documentary (''500 Years Later'') –

Pan African Film Festival Pan African Film Festival (PAFF) is a non-profit corporation in Los Angeles, California, that states its goal is to promote "cultural understanding among peoples of African descent" through exhibiting art and film. It hosts a film festival and an ar ...

*2006 Best Int'l Documentary (''500 Years Later'') – Harlem Int'l Film Festival *2006 Best Documentary (''500 Years Later'') – Bridgetown Film Festival *2007 Breaking the Chains Award (''500 Years Later'') – United Nations'

*2008 Best Documentary (''The Black Candle'') – Africa World Documentary Film Festival *2009 Langston Hughes Award from the

Langston Hughes Society The Langston Hughes Society is a United States-based literary society concerned with the work of African American poet Langston Hughes. The society was the first national organization to be dedicated to the work of an African American writer. Found ...

*2009 The Key to the City of Dallas, TX *2010 Board of director's Best Documentary (''Motherland'') –

*2011 Best Documentary (''Motherland'') –

Zanzibar International Film Festival The Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), also known as Festival of the Dhow Countries, is an annual film festival held in Zanzibar, Tanzania and one of the largest cultural events in East Africa. ZIFF is a non-governmental organization est ...

*2012 Best Director (''The Black Candle'') – Arkansas Black Film Festival *2012 Outstanding Young Writer – Middle Atlantic Writers Association *2013 Discover Great New Writers (''Buck: A Memoir'') – Barnes & Noble *2013 Best Book of 2013 (''Buck: A Memoir'') – Baltimore Magazine *2013 Inspirational Memoir finalist (''Buck: A Memoir'') – Books for a Better Life Award *2014 Washington Post Bestseller List – Paperback Nonfiction #6 (''Buck: A Memoir'') *2014 Alex Award finalist (''Buck: A Memoir'') –

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

*2014 TheGrio 100 List –

MSNBC MSNBC (originally the Microsoft National Broadcasting Company) is an American news-based pay television cable channel. It is owned by NBCUniversala subsidiary of Comcast. Headquartered in New York City, it provides news coverage and politi ...

The Grio TheGrio, styled as thegrio, is an American television network and website with news, opinion, entertainment and video content geared toward Black Americans. The website originally launched in June 2009 as a division of NBC News, it became a di ...

*2014 Feature Film Program Fellow –

*2014 Outstanding Literary Work – Autobiography finalist (''Buck: A Memoir'') –

NAACP Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

*2014 In the Margins Book Award (''Buck: A Memoir'') *2015 Washington Post Bestseller List – Paperback Nonfiction #3 (''Buck: A Memoir'') *2016 Chancellor's Medallion –

Fayetteville State University Fayetteville State University (FSU) is a public historically black university in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina System and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History The second oldest state suppo ...

*2017 Distinguished Professor-in-Residence – MICA (Institute of Strategic Marketing and Communication) *2018 Great Stories Club –

(''Buck: A Memoir'') *2019 Lifetime Achievement Award - Muslim-Christian Alliance of Philadelphia *2020 Best in Social Activism (Finalist) - Shorty Awards (''While Black with MK Asante'') *2020 Short Form Series (Nomination)

Critics' Choice Real TV Awards The Critics' Choice Real TV Awards are accolades for nonfiction, unscripted and reality television content presented by the Critics Choice Association and NPACT. They were established in 2018, and the first ceremony was held on June 2, 2019, and ...

(''While Black with MK Asante'') *2021 Presidential Citation - MSU Distinguished Achievement Award -

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known a ...

Books

*''Like Water Running Off My Back'' (2002) *'' Beautiful. And Ugly Too'' (2005) *'' It's Bigger Than Hip Hop'' (2008) *'' Buck: A Memoir'' (2013)

Films

*''

'' (2005) *''

'' (2008) *''

Motherland A homeland is a place where a cultural, national, or racial identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethni ...

'' (2010) *''Buck'' (in development)

TV shows

*'' While Black with MK Asante'' (2019–) *''Free Tuition with MK Asante'' (2020–)

Music

Albums

* 2015: '' Buck: Original Book Soundtrack'' by MK Asante

Singles

*2013: "The Color Grey" – Bishop Lamont ft. Mykisha Thomas and MK Asante (produced by Chris Noxx) *2014: "My Victory" – MK Asante ft. Maya Angelou (produced by

J Dilla J, or j, is the tenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its usual name in English is ''jay'' (pronounced ), with a now-uncommon vari ...

) *2014: "The Bulletin" – MK Asante ft. Uzi (produced by Faze Miyake) *2015: "Young Bucks" – MK Asante ft. Mez (Produced by J-Mac and Commissioner Gordon) *2020: "We the Eagles" - MK Asante (Produced by Mez) *2021: "Skate or D.I.E." - MK Asante (Produced by The Brightness)

Features

* 2013: "Godz N The Hood" –

Ras Kass John R. Austin II (born September 26, 1973), better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is a member of the hip hop supergroup The HRSMN, along with Canibus, Killah Priest, and Kurupt in 2014. He is also a member of the ...

ft. Bishop Lamont, MK Asante and

(produced by Chris Noxx) * 2015: "Rap Psalms" – MK Asante ft. Narcy (Produced by Thanks Joey) * 2015: "Bangers" – MK Asante and Halo (Produced by Nottz) * 2016: "Runnin" – Ace Clark ft. MK Asante (Produced by Scarecrow Beats)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Asante, M. K., Jr. African-American academics African-American film directors African-American poets African-American screenwriters American film producers 21st-century American memoirists Postmodern writers East Coast hip hop musicians American male screenwriters American social sciences writers African-American non-fiction writers American documentary film directors American documentary film producers American spoken word poets Lafayette College alumni UCLA Film School alumni Alumni of SOAS University of London Living people 21st-century American poets American male poets Morgan State University faculty 21st-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers Screenwriters from Maryland 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American screenwriters 1982 births 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American writers