JAY-Z, 4:44 and The Promise of Imagination
JAY-Z has returned after a hiatus of almost 3 years with his new project 4:44. The project (is it fair to call anything an album nowadays?) was released with JAY-Z’s streaming service TIDAL and in partnership with Sprint. No conversation about JAY-Z is ever complete...
Crisis at Uber & the Promise of Stewardship
The past couple of weeks have not been kind to ride sharing company Uber. The news has been dominated with their most recent scandals. First, a scathing blog post by engineer Susan J. Fowler who recounts in detail her year spent at the company. She allows us inside an...
Culture Is The Territory
Alfred Korzybski, was a scholar in the field of general semantics. Although his work is extensive in the field and he is oft quoted I want to draw attention to his thoughts about map and territory. Korzybski says: A map is not the territory it represents, but, if...
Culture Has No Sidelines
Many brands still try to avoid controversy at all costs. PR is still all too often about “damage control”. Brands still fall victim to the idea they can remain “above the fray” and avoid controversy. Making a stand or aligning oneself with the social issues is still...
Issa Rae
Despite the title HBO would hardly seem in need of saving. It is coming off a recent Emmy’s performance where perennial powerhouse Game of Thrones snagged the most awards ever for a series. It is consistently the most highly nominated network and one can argue the...
Why We Get What We Deserve (The Remix)
Almost a year ago, myself and my co-host of 2 Dope Boys & a Podcast, Michael Brooks wrote an article titled “Why We Get What We Deserve”. In it, we derided (among others) Martin Shkreli, infamous former CEO of biotech company Turing Pharmaceuticals. Shkreli...
Chobani, Leadership & The Cultural Future
Chobani CEO Hamdi Ulukaya’s surprise announcement that the 2000 full time employees of Chobani would be receiving a 10% stake in the company has entered the media bloodstream with force. Segments on NBC and other major outlets shined a light on this act of genuine...
Mark Zuckerberg’s Memo Isn’t Leadership
It was recently reported that Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg released a letter dealing with intolerant behavior on behalf of his employees. Apparently, within Facebook HQ has a wall where employees are encouraged to share thoughts, ideas or general musings for...
Creed Vs. The Force Awakens: How Culture Delivers a Knock Out
Oscar nominations were released this morning to the usual fanfare and celebratory proclamations we are accustomed to during Hollywood award season. A sentimental favorite in the Best Supporting category is 80s action star Sylvester Stallone who takes up the mantle as...
The Deep Dive
- Episode 256: The Great Resistance w/ Carrie Gibson April 22, 2026Philip welcomes Carrie Gibson, author of The Great Resistance: The 400 Year Fight to End Slavery in the Americas. In their conversation they trace how the history of resistance has been purposely obscured and how the lessons from those ancestorial responses to slavery and oppression are relevant today. The Drop – The segment of the […]
- Episode 255: The Business of Meaning w/ Peter Spear April 16, 2026Philip welcomes. Peter Spear, host and curator of the newsletter and podcast That Business of Meaning to the show. In their conversation, they discuss all things culture and how the current marketing and media landscape make sense of the world around it. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest […]
- Episode 254: Bernie Goetz, Reagan and the Rebirth of White Rage w/ Heather Ann Thompson April 2, 2026Philip welcomes Heather Ann Thompson author of Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, The Bernie Goetz Shootings and the Rebirth of White Rage to the show. In their conversation they discuss how the pivotal Bernie Goetz shooting of four innocent Black teens alongside the conservative austerity and race baiting of the Reagan Presidency set the […]
- Episode 253: Crafting Stories of The Future w/ Betty Sue Flowers March 26, 2026Philip welcomes Betty Sue Flowers, author of Scenarios: Crafting and Using Stories of the Future to Change the Present to the show. In their conversation they discuss the power of stories and narrative to influence the stories we tell to shape our future. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his […]
- Episode 252: When Trees Testify w/ Dr. Beronda Montgomery March 19, 2026Philip welcomes plant biologist Dr. Beronda Montgomery, author of Lessons From Plans and When Trees Testity: Science, Wisdom, History and America’s Black Botanical Legacy to the show. In their conversation, they trace the intimate relationship between Black people and the natural world and our historical legacy as told through America’s trees. The Drop – The […]
- Episode 251: No One Leaves Clean w/ Yaw Ofosu-Asare March 12, 2026Philip welcomes designer Yaw Ofosu-Asare, author of No One Leaves Clean: Living, Breathing and Surviving the Post-Colonial Economy to the show. In their episode they discuss how Africa is reshaping itself in a post-colonial reality, how we navigate identity and the power of culture to understand our past and future. The Drop – The segment […]
- Episode 250: Getting Lost with Lost Maps w/ James Cheshire March 5, 2026Philip welcomes cartographer James Cheshire, author of The Library of Lost Maps to the show. In their episode they discuss the history of lost maps, the cultural relevance of maps and whether they still can help us navigate the worlds we inhabit. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest […]
- Episode 249: Culture & The Rules That Make Us w/ Oliver Sweet February 26, 2026Philip welcomes Oliver Sweet, author of The Rules That Make Us: How Culture Shapes the Way We Act, Think, Believe and Buy. In their conversation they discuss the complexity of culture and how it impacts our thinking across a variety of criteria. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest […]
- Episode 248: True Human w/ Samantha Sweetwater February 5, 2026Philip welcomes Samantha Sweetwater, author of True Human: Reimagining Ourselves at the End of the World. In their conversation, they explore the meaning of what it is to human, how we navigate death and what future(s) can we build. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels […]
- Episode 247: Artificial Humanities w/ Nina Begus January 29, 2026Philip welcome Nina Begus, author of Artificial Humanities: A Fictional Perspectives on Language in AI to the show. In their conversation, they discuss the important role that humanities can play in how AI is positioned in the world. The Drop – The segment of the show where Philip and his guest share tasty morsels of […]