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Nelson George | |
|---|---|
 George in New York City, 2023 | |
| Born | (1957-09-01)September 1, 1957 (age 68) |
| Education | St. John's University |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse | Malika Weeden |
| Awards | Grammy Award, Album Liner Notes, James Brown Star Time Box Set, 1991 |
Nelson George (born September 1, 1957) is an American author,columnist, music and culturecritic,journalist, andfilmmaker. He has been nominated twice for theNational Book Critics Circle Award.[1][2][3][4]
George attendedSt. John's University. He was an intern at theNew York Amsterdam News before being hired as black music editor forRecord World.[5] He later served as a music editor forBillboard magazine from 1982 to 1989. While there, George published two books:Where Did Our Love Go: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound in 1986, andThe Death of Rhythm & Blues in 1988. He also wrote a column, entitled "Native Son", for theVillage Voice from 1988 to 1992. He first got involved in film when, in 1986, he helped to finance directorSpike Lee's debut featureShe's Gotta Have It.[6]
A lifelong resident ofBrooklyn, New York, George still resides in the Fort Greene section of the borough.[7]
George has authored numerousnon-fiction books, including the bestsellerThe Michael Jackson Story in 1984,Blackface: Reflections on African-Americans and the Movies in 1994,Elevating the Game: Black Men and basketball in 1992, andHip Hop America in 1998. In 2005, he publishedPost-Soul Nation, which further developed his concept of "post-soul" black culture. With Alan Leeds, he co-authoredThe James Brown Reader, a collection of articles about the "Godfather of Soul," in 2008.
George'sThe Death of Rhythm and Blues chronicles and critiques the path that R&B has taken. He takes a close look at the genre's fall to the hands of the mainstream and even suggests that some popular artists "sold out". George further articulates in the book that many of the middle-class black Americans that listen to R&B began assimilating into white culture and losing their black roots.
George has written fivedetective novels featuring bodyguard-turned-private investigator D Hunter. All three novels—The Accidental Hunter,The Plot Against Hip-Hop: A Novel, andThe Lost Treasures of R&B—have been optioned by rapper/actorCommon.[8]
In 1991, George co-wrote theHalle Berry vehicleStrictly Business, and in 1993, he was co-creator of the movieCB4 starring comedianChris Rock.[9]
In 2004, George made a short film calledTo Be a Black Man, starringSamuel L. Jackson, and a documentary calledA Great Day in Hip-Hop. Both titles appeared in festivals inNew York,London, andAmsterdam. Heexecutive-produced theHBO filmEveryday People which also debuted in 2004 at theSundance Film Festival.
He served as co-executive producer ofVH1'sHip Hop Honors television show and executive producer ofBlack Entertainment Television'sAmerican Gangster series, which was the highest rated series in the history of BET in 2006. His directorial debut,Life Support, starringQueen Latifah, aired on HBO on March 10, 2007. Latifah won several awards for her performance as Ana Wallace, including aGolden Globe,Screen Actors Guild award, and theNAACP Image Award.Life Support was also named best TV film of the year by theNAACP. He also hosted theVH-1 seriesSoul Cities, which examined the music and culture of six prominent cities in the U.S.
A resident ofFort Greene, Brooklyn, for more than 25 years, George wrote, narrated, and co-directed withDiane Paragas the 2012 feature documentaryBrooklyn Boheme, portraying the uniquely vibrant and diverse African-American artistic community of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill during the 1980s and '90's that includedSpike Lee,Chris Rock,Branford Marsalis,Rosie Perez,Saul Williams,Lorna Simpson,Toshi Reagon, writerTouré, writerAdario Strange, Guru ofGang Starr,Erykah Badu, andTalib Kweli, among many others. Unlike the legendaryHarlem Renaissance of the 1920s, which was largely a literary scene, the artists collected in these neighborhoods were as involved with newer means of expression (film, rock music, hip hop, avant garde theater, stand-up comedy, photography) as with traditional African-American artistic pursuits (poetry, jazz). The film premiered onShowtime Networks in February 2012 forBlack History Month.Finding The Funk was released in March 2013; the film traced the history of funk music from the 1960s to the present day. This documentary included interviews with musicians such asD'Angelo,Sly Stone,Bootsy Collins,Mike D,Sheila E, and countless others. It was aired onVH1 on February 14, 2013.[10] In 2015, George releasedA Ballerina's Tale, a documentary onMisty Copeland, a principal ballet dancer for ABT (American Ballet Theatre).[11][12]
In 2023 he was an executive producer of a new CBC docuseriesBlack Life: Untold Stories that examined the history, experiences and contributions of Black Canadians in broad area of the culture, including music, hip-hop, sports, to slavery and policing.[13]
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