Jack Carenza - September 23, 2022

Award-Winning Journalist Manny Faces Presents Hip-Hop as an instrument to Uplift Humanity

Manny Faces is weaponizing hip hop for good.  His life’s work centers on using hip hop music as a catalyst to improve lives and communities, nationally and worldwide.   

Hip-hop, like all art forms, is a reflection of our society and culture.  Its contributions to music history are obvious, but its lasting impact extends into vital matters.  Topics such as science and technology, social justice, business, education and politics.   Manny Faces spotlights these connections with eloquence and precision, using podcasts, publications and public speaking to examine hip-hop’s seemingly limitless potential to positively impact our world.  

“While we should marvel at and celebrate hip-hop’s history and all it’s brought to the world, we’re only just beginning to understand the capability of the genre to improve society.  Outside of mere entertainment, across so many fields, disciplines and demographics – hip-hop is a changemaker, possibly more than any other social movement in history.”  Manny Faces

A “Manny-fold” Journey

Like so many influential journalists in the hip-hop scene, Manny’s journey began in New York City.  He launched his podcast career with The NY Hip-Hop Report and operated as founder/editor-in-chief of online publication Birthplace Magazine.  Both publications covered the NY music scene. However, they leaned heavily into the economic, social, and cultural impacts hip-hop imparted on the city where it originated.  

 Birthplace magazine was born in blog era. However, it discussed the impact of the genre in ways no other blog at the time was equipped to do.  From topics such as hip-hop’s effect on President Obama’s election, to CNN Don Lemon’s discriminatory takes on Hip Hop Culture, Manny was always able to push the envelope.  

In 2015, Manny founded nonprofit organization The Center for Hip-Hop Advocacy. The Center’s mission states the following.  “The mission of The Center for Hip-Hop Advocacy is to broaden public perception of hip-hop music and culture, ensuring that varied and continuing contributions to multiple fields and disciplines are fairly and accurately documented and communicated.”  Specifically, The Center For Hip-Hop Advocacy highlights the innumerable contributions hip-hop has added to spaces such as education, politics, activism, community, mental and physical health and sciences.  

On behalf of his nonprofit, Manny Faces co-authored two vital pieces in 2015 with social psychologist Joy Sever. Attitudes Toward the Teaching of Hip-Hop History and Culture presents critical data on the importance of hip-hop’s musical and cultural history being taught in schools. The Reputation of Hip-Hop examines the media’s perception and portrayal of hip-hop vs. its actual contributions to society.  

Manny Today

Since then, Manny has used The Center for Hip-Hop Advocacy as a platform for public speaking engagements at some of the most notable businesses and universities in the country. He has presented the topic Hip Hop Can Hack Everything! Tech Inspiration From a Culture of Innovation at Microsoft, Google, Carnegie Mellon and more.  

Manny Faces

Manny Faces presents at The Ohio State University.

When Manny’s not speaking, well, he’s still speaking, just in a different format. He produces, edits and hosts several acclaimed podcasts including social justice-meets-Hip-Hop program, News Beat, socio-political analysis show Unf*cking The Republic, and interview and cultural commentary show Hip-Hop Can Save America! 

News Beat was awarded “Best Podcast” at the New York Press Club Journalism Awards in 2018 and 2021. It also won an award at the Society of Professional Journalists/PCLI Awards in 2020. Hip-Hop Can Save America is listed as “recommended material” at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Unf*cking the Republic has been written up in the New York Times and recently celebrated 1 million downloads.  In August, Manny was named to Podcast Magazine’s 40 Over Forty list.  

Tap in with Manny Faces on Instagram and Twitter to follow his continued pursuit to link hip hop to cultural improvement.  

 

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