#133: We're staying on the hip hop beat in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the genre! (Check out our first episode on the origins of the West Coast sound with the Godfather of West Coast hip hop, Alonzo Williams).

Today, How To LA speaks to historian, hip hop fanatic, and expert on Black culture from the millennial vantage point: Tyree Boyd Pates. We dive deeper into the impact and evolution of west coast hip hop, the power of speaking truth to power with a beat, its roots in Black America and its spread to global pop domination.

CLARIFICATION:  This episode makes a reference to the influence of the Last Poets. The contributor meant to point to the influence of the Watts Prophets. We regret the oversight. 

Guest: Tyree Boyd Pates, history curator, professor, writer, and speaker on Black culture.