My guest for this episode is Jason A. England, acclaimed writer, cultural critic, and English professor. We use Jason's controversial piece lamenting the state of popular hip hop as an entry point into a broader conversation about the damaging effect the "can't knock the hustle" ethos has had on the music as well as Black culture writ large.

We discuss the illusory appeal of representation, inclusion, and symbolic politics for Black folks, including segments on the warped individualism cultivated by social media and the unfortunate popularity of consumption as resistance.

• Jason's Defector article: "50 Years Later, Is There Anything Left of Hip Hop?”
• Full episode notes here:  ...