Elliott H. Powell Traces the History of Black Musicians Engaging with South Asian Culture and Sounds
In his new book “Sounds from the Other Side,” the scholar considers music by Miles Davis, Missy Elliott, and Timbaland.
By Tom Morris
December 12, 2020
2 minute read
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By analyzing examples from the 1960s to today, Elliott H. Powell, a scholar of race, sexuality, and pop music, traces the history of African-American musical engagements with South Asian culture and sounds in his new book, Sounds from the Other Side: Afro-South Asian Collaborations in Black Popular Music (University of Minnesota Press). “In the end,” Powell says, “the book is about illustrating what the political stakes are in Black popular music when creating music between and across marginalized communities.”
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