M.K. Asante's Blog

Author and filmmaker MK Asante ’04, retired ProJeCt of Easton CEO Janice D. Komisor, and Lt. Gen. Stuart W. Risch ’84 of the United States Army to earn honorary degrees during Lafayette College’s 190th Commencement ceremony.

Nephew received the 2025 In the Margins Book Award for Non Fiction.

Honored to return as a writer for the new official Monday Night Football anthem(s) performed by Snoop Dogg, Chris Stapleton, and Cindy Blackman Santana.

From AudioFile magazine: “M.K. Asante’s performance captures the essence of what makes the audiobook medium vital: a living experience that grabs listeners from start to finish. Here, Asante’s work is filled with hip-hop rhythms creating rich images that embody a journey through Black history and community via the streets of Philadelphia. Assante unfolds the story of his nephew Nasir’s emergency treatment in intensive care after multiple gunshot wounds. Supporting performances by Dion Graham as ...

Starred Review from Library Journal: “This poignant memoir about overcoming devastating odds is a treasure and likely to become a classic. Essential reading for deepening understanding of society, the world, familial relationships, and the meaning of art and life.”Read full review here.

Kirkus reviews Nephew: A Memoir in 4-Part Harmony: “Passionate, moving, spirited reflections on art’s therapeutic potency.

An ode to the power of healing through art. An accomplished musician, filmmaker, and professor, Asante Jr., author of Buck and It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop, turns his attention to his relationship with his brother Uzi’s son, Nasir, whose troubled youth culminated in near death from gun violence. The author sensitively and astutely explores the social dysfunction shared by his br...

Publishing giant Kirkus Reviews gives a stellar review to Nephew: A Memoir in 4-Part Harmony:

NEPHEWA MEMOIR IN 4-PART HARMONY

BY M.K. ASANTE ‧ RELEASE DATE: MAY 21, 2024

Passionate, moving, spirited reflections on art’s therapeutic potency.

An ode to the power of healing through art. An accomplished musician, filmmaker, and professor, Asante Jr., author of Buck and It’s Bigger Than Hip-Hop, turns his attention to his relationship with his brother Uzi’s son, Nasir, whose troubled youth culmina...

Nephew: A Memoir in 4-Part Harmony is featured in the “The Reader’s Almanac | Books to Know in 2024” by Library Journal.

Nonfiction (“Writing the Race”) by Barbara Hoffert

Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s The Black Box: Writing the Race (Penguin Pr., Mar.) shows how writing has allowed Black Americans to define themselves. See also former South Carolina state representative Bakari Sellers’s The Moment: Thoughts on the Race Reckoning That Wasn’t and How We All Can Move Forward Now (Amistad, Apr.), #Blac...

MK writes the new official anthem for Monday Night Football featuring Snoop Dogg, Chris Stapleton, and Cindy Blackman Santana.

“It was an honor to write the new official Monday Night Football anthems performed by Snoop Dogg, Chris Stapleton and Cindy Blackman Santana. The song/video debuted last night on @abcnetwork & @espn and will air before all Monday Night games. Me and Snoop collaborated on various versions of the song so each week the lyrics will be different and speak to a theme. Last ni...

MK Asante teams up with Idris Elba’s Green Door Pictures and wife Sabrina Elba’s Pink Towel on Paid in Full: The Battle for Payback, a 3 part documentary series about the music industry exploiting Black artists, for the BBC and CBC networks.