M. K. Asante

M. K. Asante (born c. November 3, 1982) is an American author, filmmaker, recording artist, and professor. He is best known for his best-selling memoir Buck.[1][2]

M. K. Asante
MK Asante at UCLA in 2020
BornNovember 3, 1982
Harare, Zimbabwe
OccupationWriter, Director, Professor, Producer, Recording Artist, CEO
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUCLA School of Theater, Film and Television
University of London, SOAS
Lafayette College
GenreMemoir, creative nonfiction, poetry, hip-hop, African-American literature, documentary
Notable worksBuck: A Memoir; While Black with MK Asante

Early life

Born in Harare, Zimbabwe and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Asante is the son of scholar Molefi Kete Asante and choreographer Kariamu Welsh.

Career

Books
Cover of Buck: A Memoir (Random House) by MK Asante

Asante is the author of four books, most notably Buck, 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 bestseller list in 2014 and 2015.[3][4] Poet Maya Angelou, who mentored Asante, described Buck as "a story of surviving and thriving with passion, compassion, wit, and style."[5]

Films

Asante is a Sundance Institute Feature Film Fellow for the movie adaptation of his memoir Buck. Asante wrote and produced the documentary 500 Years Later, a documentary about slavery which received the Breaking the Chains Award from UNESCO. Asante directed and produced The Black Candle, a documentary about Kwanzaa, co-written and narrated by Maya Angelou.

Lectures and essays

Asante has delivered numerous lectures, including the Yale University Master's Tea; Vanderbilt University Walter R. Murray Jr. Lecture; Southern Methodist University Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture; and commencement addresses at UCLA, University of Wisconsin, Arizona State University, Vassar, and Harvard University.

Asante is featured in 'Changing America: 1968 and Beyond', a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Asante has written essays on art, Hip Hop, technology, and culture for USA Today,[6] Huffington Post,[7] San Francisco Chronicle,[8] and the New York Times.[9]

Music

Asante's debut music project, the Buck: Original Book Soundtrack, was released on May 14, 2015.

Asante is featured on the song "Bangers", along with Halo, from the album Indie 500 by Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder.

Asante is the founder of Wonderful Sound Studios.

Education and professorship

Asante is a graduate of The Crefeld School.[10] He studied film and literature at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, earned a BA in Africana Studies and English from Lafayette College, and an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from UCLA School of Theater Film and Television.[11]

At 23, he joined the faculty of Morgan State University. He received tenure at 26 [12] and is currently Associate Professor of creative writing and film in the Department of English and Language Arts.[13] In 2017, he was appointed to Distinguished Professor-in-Residence at the MICA (Institute of Strategic Marketing and Communication) in India.[14]

On-Camera

Asante is the host and co-executive producer of While Black with MK Asante, a docuseries produced by Snapchat.[15] 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.[16] He was featured in several VH1 commercials celebrating Black History Month.

Awards and honors
  • 2020 Short Form Series (Nomination) Critics' Choice Real TV Awards (While Black with MK Asante)
  • 2020 Best in Social Activism (Finalist) - Shorty Awards (While Black with MK Asante)
  • 2018 Great Stories Club – American Library Association (Buck: A Memoir)
  • 2017 Distinguished Professor-in-Residence – MICA (Institute of Strategic Marketing and Communication)
  • 2016 Chancellor's Medallion – Fayetteville State University
  • 2015 Washington Post Bestseller List – Paperback Nonfiction #3 (Buck: A Memoir)
  • 2014 In the Margins Book Award (Buck: A Memoir)
  • 2014 Outstanding Literary Work – Autobiography finalist (Buck: A Memoir) – NAACP Image Awards
  • 2014 Feature Film Program Fellow – Sundance Institute
  • 2014 TheGrio 100 List – MSNBC The Grio
  • 2014 Alex Award finalist (Buck: A Memoir) – American Library Association
  • 2014 Washington Post Bestseller List – Paperback Nonfiction #6 (Buck: A Memoir)
  • 2013 Inspirational Memoir finalist (Buck: A Memoir) – Books for a Better Life Award
  • 2013 Best Book of 2013 (Buck: A Memoir) – Baltimore Magazine
  • 2013 Discover Great New Writers (Buck: A Memoir) – Barnes & Noble
  • 2012 Outstanding Young Writer – Middle Atlantic Writers Association
  • 2012 Best Director (The Black Candle) – Arkansas Black Film Festival
  • 2011 Best Documentary (Motherland) – Zanzibar International Film Festival
  • 2010 Board of director's Best Documentary (Motherland) – Pan African Film Festival
  • 2009 The Key to the City of Dallas, TX
  • 2009 Langston Hughes Award from the Langston Hughes Society
  • 2008 Best Documentary (The Black Candle) – Africa World Documentary Film Festival
  • 2007 Breaking the Chains Award (500 Years Later) – United Nations' UNESCO
  • 2006 Best Documentary (500 Years Later) – Bridgetown Film Festival
  • 2006 Best Int'l Documentary (500 Years Later) – Harlem Int'l Film Festival
  • 2005 Best Documentary (500 Years Later) – Pan African Film Festival
  • 2002 Jean Corrie Poetry Prize – Academy of American Poets

Books

Films

Music

Albums

Features
  • 2016: "Runnin" – Ace Clark ft. MK Asante (Produced by Scarecrow Beats)
  • 2015: "Bangers" – MK Asante and Halo (Produced by Nottz) * Indie 500 by Talib Kweli & 9th Wonder
  • 2015: "Rap Psalms" – MK Asante ft. Narcy (Produced by Thanks Joey)
  • 2013: "Godz N The Hood" – Ras Kass ft. Bishop Lamont, MK Asante and Talib Kweli (produced by Chris Noxx) (2013)

Singles
  • "Young Bucks" – MK Asante ft. King Mez (Produced by J-Mac and Commissioner Gordon) (2015)
  • "The Bulletin" – MK Asante ft. Uzi (produced by Faze Miyake) (2014)
  • "My Victory" – MK Asante ft. Maya Angelou (produced by J Dilla) (2014)
  • "The Color Grey" – Bishop Lamont ft. Mykisha Thomas and MK Asante (produced by Chris Noxx) (2013)

References
  1. McCauley, Mary Carole. "Morgan State professor's memoir, Buck makes big splash". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on October 26, 2014.
  2. Master storyteller M.K. Asante keeps it real in the classroom. CNN.com. Retrieved on June 23, 2017.
  3. "Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers 2013". bn.com. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  4. "The Washington Post Bestseller List". washingtonpost.com. October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  5. Asante, Molefi K. (2014). Buck: A Memoir. Spiegel & Grau. ISBN 978-0-8129-8362-3.
  6. USATODAY.com – Enough disrespect: Return rap to its artistic roots. Usatoday30.usatoday.com (October 25, 2004). Retrieved on 2017-06-23.
  7. Celebrating Kwanzaa With Maya Angelou (VIDEO) | HuffPost. Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved on June 23, 2017.
  8. Asante, MK. "We are the post hip-hop generation". SFGate.
  9. Asante, MK. "'Accidental Racist' and Lyrical Provocation". The New York Times.
  10. Filmmaker from Hill thrills Crefeld School kids Archived September 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, ChestnutHillLocal.com, December 15, 2005.
  11. http://www.admission.ucla.edu/OurPastMeetsYourFuture/Our_Past_Meets_Your_Future.pdf
  12. https://www.today.com/video/mk-asante-gets-candid-about-his-rise-struggles-and-gift-for-language-79529541739
  13. Gordon, Stanley (October 13, 2007). "Fear The Bear: The Awakening Of A Once Powerful Force". Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2010.
  14. https://www.mica.ac.in/press-release/mica-s-4th-international-conference-in-january-2017
  16. https://shortyawards.com/12th/while-black-with-mk-asante/
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