What Mayor listens to Tsu Surf in the gym? It can only be one who has deep roots within Hip-Hop. Mayor Ras Baraka is no stranger when it comes to using his words and influence to affect change. He does this daily as he leads New Jersey’s largest city to new heights within economic and cultural development. Now Newark’s beloved Mayor will connect with the culture through his new podcast. Ras In 60 features conversations with the Mayor and guests who work to move Newark and the culture forward.
In the premiere episode, he talks about his favorite Hip-Hop groups, Run DMC and Public Enemy. In episode 2 he sits down with West Side High School Principal, Akbar Cook.” The Newark High School recently made headlines after receiving a generous donation of $500,000 from Oprah. This conversation may be the closest insight we get from the OWN Network CEO. In addition, the 60-minute show will cover fitness, lifestyle, health, Newark’s progress in development and more.
Before he stepped into political leadership, he lead Central High School as principal in Newark. Even before then you can catch him as a regular of Russell Simmon’s Def Poetry Jam. If you want to hop into the time machine, he was featured on interludes from timeless, The Miseducation of Lauren Hill. Listen to the interlude at 4:34.
The Howard University alum was classmates of both Sean “Diddy” Combs and RCA’s current President of Urban Music, Mark Pitts, while at Howard. Not only does his roots run deep within Newark’s soil, but written and poetic verbal expression as well. Ras Baraka is the son of the late Amiri Baraka. As a renowned writer poet and activist, the elder Baraka’s work made him one of the most published and acclaimed writers of his generation.
The podcast is now available on Spotify, SoundCloud and Google Play. It will be available to stream on additional platforms such as Apple Podcasts later this month.
