Ep 12, Hip Hop Studies Part 2: Political and Gangsta Rap
The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy
Release Date: 06/19/2025
Ep 27: The Beloved Community, Part 2: Martin Luther King, “I Have a Dream,” and the Beloved Community
The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy
Episode Date: January 29, 2026 "The danger of the 'I Have a Dream' speech is not that it is remembered, but that it is remembered incorrectly. It is misremembered. The danger is nostalgia without commitment, reverence without responsibility. Dr. King's dream was not meant to be admired. It was meant to be enacted." - Dr. Reiland Rabaka In this concluding episode of our two-part series, Dr. Reiland Rabaka returns to one of the most quoted speeches in American history, but this time with sharper questions and deeper listening. What happens when a radical call for justice gets remembered...
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Ep 26: The Beloved Community Part I: Martin Luther King and the Beloved Community
The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy
“The Beloved Community is not a place we arrive at, but a practice we embody in relationship with one another.” - Dr. Reiland Rabaka In this first part of our January series, Dr. Reiland Rabaka explores the meaning, origins, and practical demands of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision for the Beloved Community. Far from an abstract ideal, the Beloved Community represents a way of being and acting in the world that places justice, love, care, and collective responsibility at the center of democratic life. Dr. Rabaka situates this vision within historical struggles for freedom, Black...
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Ep 25: Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Culture, Family, and Community
The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy
“Kwanzaa tells us we are the harvest our ancestors dreamed of and the seeds of new worlds not yet born.” - Dr. Reiland Rabaka In this powerful and timely episode of The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy, Dr. Reiland Rabaka offers a deeply rooted meditation on Kwanzaa as a cultural practice, a philosophical framework, and a living tradition born from the Black Freedom Movement. More than a holiday, Kwanzaa emerges here as a week long ritual of remembrance, reflection, and renewal that affirms African and African diasporic dignity, creativity, and collective...
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Ep 24: The Women’s Suffrage Movement
The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy
In The Women’s Suffrage Movement, Dr. Rabaka lifts up the intertwined histories of women’s rights, abolitionism, racial justice, and democratic reform. This episode serves as a companion to , deepening our understanding of how these movements shaped one another. The episode examines the evolution of suffrage organizing, the contributions of Black women’s clubs, the roles of Indigenous, Latina, and Asian American women, and the limits of the Nineteenth Amendment, which granted women the right to vote while leaving many women of color disenfranchised for another half century. As Dr....
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Ep 23: The Abolitionist Movement: The Roots of Anti-Racism and Allyship
The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy
“The abolitionists were the first to teach us that freedom must be shared, that justice must be collective, and that allyship is not performance but participation.” - Dr. Reiland Rabaka Episode 23 of The Cause Podcast takes listeners deep into the heart of The Abolitionist Movement, exploring how the fight to end slavery laid the foundation for modern anti-racism, civil rights, and contemporary struggles for human dignity and liberation. Dr. Reiland Rabaka traces the intellectual, spiritual, and political roots of abolition, emphasizing the movement’s radical...
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Ep 22: Beyond the Game: Voices from the Black Student Athlete Summit
The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy
In this powerful conversation, Dr. Reiland Rabaka is joined by DaWon Baker, CU Boulder’s Associate Athletic Director for Impact & Strategic Engagement, along with three CU Boulder students and student-athletes who recently attended the 2025 Black Student Athlete Summit in Chicago. Together, they share what it means to be part of a national gathering that celebrates Black excellence, amplifies voices, and addresses the challenges and opportunities facing Black students at predominantly white institutions. The guests reflect on their experiences at the summit. Discussing community,...
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Episode 21: A Conversation with State Rep. Junie Joseph
The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy
In this episode of The Cause Podcast, Dr. Reiland Rabaka speaks with State Representative Junie Joseph, a dynamic legislator representing Colorado’s District 10. Born in Haiti and now serving in the Colorado General Assembly, Representative Joseph shares her remarkable journey of resilience, civic engagement, and community-centered leadership. The discussion explores themes of representation, equity, and belonging, how her lived experience as an immigrant and woman of color informs her approach to policymaking and advocacy. Dr. Rabaka and Rep. Joseph also reflect on...
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Ep 20: Global South
The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy
Episode Date: October 9, 2025 “The Global South is not just geography—it’s a shared story of survival, solidarity, and hope.” - Dr. Reiland Rabaka In this powerful episode of The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy, Dr. Reiland Rabaka explores The Global South—not just as a place, but as a living, breathing movement for liberation. Through stories of art, activism, and resistance, Dr. Rabaka connects the histories of Africa, Asia, and Latin America, revealing how centuries of colonialism have shaped today’s struggles for justice and...
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Ep 19: Decolonization
The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy
Episode Date: September 25, 2025 “Decolonization is not simply political. It is also cultural and musical. We can decolonize our minds, our art, and our institutions as we imagine a world rooted in justice, peace, and love.” — Dr. Reiland Rabaka In Episode 19 of The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy, Dr. Reiland Rabaka takes us deep into the meaning and urgency of Decolonization. Far more than a political project, decolonization encompasses cultural, spiritual, and musical transformations. It is about dismantling oppressive systems while reclaiming...
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Ep 18: Social Justice
The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy
“Social justice is not charity, it’s not something we give away when it’s convenient—it’s about transforming the very structures of society so that everyone can thrive.” – Dr. Reiland Rabaka In Episode 18 of The Cause: Conversations on Music, History, and Democracy, we conclude our Justice Series with a powerful exploration of Social Justice. Dr. Reiland Rabaka examines how movements for equity, access, participation, and human dignity are essential to building a truly democratic society. This episode brings into focus the historical struggles and the ongoing fight to ensure that...
info_outline“These artists weren’t just entertainers—they were educators, cultural critics, and community historians.”
— Dr. Reiland Rabaka
In Part 2 of our Hip Hop Studies series, Dr. Reiland Rabaka explores the evolution and impact of political and gangsta rap—two vital branches of hip hop that challenged systems, spotlighted injustice, and reshaped public dialogue around race, poverty, policing, and power.
This episode takes listeners through the lineage of resistance: from the firebrand urgency of Public Enemy, the revolutionary clarity of Queen Latifah, and the hard-hitting realism of N.W.A., to the complex genius of Ice Cube, Lauryn Hill, and many others. Dr. Rabaka draws deep historical connections—linking the lyrical activism of these artists to the long tradition of Black cultural expression as political protest.
Whether confronting police brutality, amplifying community struggles, or pushing back on respectability politics, these artists made space for Black truth on a global stage—often at great personal cost.
Episode 12 is a tribute to the fearless voices of hip hop who spoke not just to us, but for us.