Pierce Freelon is a professor, journalist and musician.[1] He is the founder and CEO of the Black Academics, an online community of young black thinkers to discuss their opinions on current events of interest to the larger black community.[2] He is the founder of Jazz and Hip hop group the Beast[3][4][5] He is currently working in Ghana with the Contemporary African Diasporan Art (MoCADA) on a film about Pan-Africanism featuring Blitz the emcee and Les Nubians.[5] He is the former Director of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz’ Bebop to Hip-Hop program.[6]He is currently a Political Science and African American Studies professor at North Carolina Central University, UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University. He is also a board member of the North Carolina Arts Council.
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Freelon developed a Hip-Hop curriculum for high school and universities students that has been implemented in Los Angles,Atlanta and Ghana.[6]
He has performed internationally with jazz artistsNnenna Freelon (his mother), Herbie Hancock, Bob James, Earl Klugh, Patti Austin, Robert Glasper, Chris Dave and Derrick Hodge. He has also done arrangements and rap for Nnenna Freelon's album, "Home Free".[7] He has also performed with hip-hop artists Doug E. Fresh, Grand Master Flash, The Last Poets and Dead Prez.[1]
He is the son of gammy nominee Nnenna Freelon and Philip Freelon.[8] He is the brother-in-law of M.K. Asante, Jr. who is married to his sister.
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