Harry Allen

Hip-Hop Visions looks at the way media and advertising affect our understanding of gender, race, identity, and power. It's a compact, economical program that deeply involves both young and adult audiences by utilizing the music and imagery of rap -- the compelling sound of today's youth culture -- to drive thought and inspire.

Harry Allen, hip-hop activist and media assassin, writes about race, politics, and hip-hop for Vibe, Spin, The Source, The Village Voice, Billboard, Essence, Newsday, and XXL, among other publications. Widely hailed as one of hip-hop culture's most original minds, he has been quoted as an expert in The Wall Street Journal, on National Public Radio, and on CNN.

Well known for his association with the seminal band Public Enemy, Allen also founded the world's first not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) organization for hip-hop culture, the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame & RhythmCultural Center, Inc. (d.b.a. RCI: The RhythmCultural Institute) in 1994. He further satisfies both his musical and political interests through service on the advisory board of the Archives of African-American Music & Culture at Indiana University, in Bloomington IN, and as a segment producer at the Pacifica Radio Foundation's WBAI-NY/99.5 FM, where he covers film, media, art, science, literature, and other subjects.

Allen is currently developing a book on architecture, researching a documentary on hip-hop, and building the Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. He lives in Harlem.