Touré
Touré in 2006
Born	(1971-03-20) March 20, 1971 (age 41) Boston, Massachusetts[1]
Occupation	TV host, novelist, journalist, cultural critic
Language	English
Nationality	American

Touré (born Touré Neblett, March 20, 1971)^[2][1] is an American novelist, essayist, music journalist, cultural critic, and television personality based in New York City. He is the host of Fuse's Hiphop Shop and On the Record. He is also a contributor to MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show and serves on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.^[3]

Career[link]

Writing career[link]

While a student at Emory University, Touré founded the black student newspaper, The Fire This Time.^[4] He dropped out of college in 1992 and became an intern at Rolling Stone magazine but was fired after a few months. Weeks later he was asked to write record reviews and then feature stories. His first feature was about Run-DMC. Since 1997, he has been a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, writing primarily about hip hop.^[5] In April 2011 he wrote the Rolling Stone cover story about Adele.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Touré has written four books: The Portable Promised Land (2003), a collection of short stories, Soul City (2004), a magical realist novel about life in an African-American Utopia, and Never Drank the Kool-Aid (2006), a collection of his published writing between 1994 and 2005. In September 2011 Free Press published Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?, a look at modern Black identity that includes a forward by Michael Eric Dyson and excerpts from over 100 interviews with notable people like Jesse Jackson.

He has also written about Dale Earnhardt Jr. in Rolling Stone magazine's "Kurt is My Co-Pilot", a story that ended up in The Best American Sports Writing 2001.^[6][7]

Television[link]

Touré interviewing DJ Spooky at the 2009 Brooklyn Book Festival.

His television career began in the late 1990s with occasional appearances on talk shows like The Today Show. In 2003, he became the host of Spoke N' Heard on MTV2, a weekly half-hour interview show. In 2004, he became CNN's first pop culture correspondent, covering the Oscars and the Grammys and talking about pop culture on a recurring segment on American Morning called "90 Second Pop," hosted by Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer. In 2005, Touré left CNN and became a correspondent for Black Entertainment Television (BET), where he hosted a show called The Black Carpet. In 2008, he left BET and became a contributor to MSNBC. In September 2009, he became the host of the Hiphop Shop, a hiphop music video and interview show on Fuse. Touré has filled in as occasional substitute host of the arts and culture interview program The Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC, New York City's largest public radio station. His show I'll Try Anything Once aired on Treasure HD. The 13-episode, half-hour series featured Touré attempting challenges each week. He has hosted several shows on Tennis Channel including Top Ten Hottest Shots and Community Surface.^[8] Touré was one of the journalists interviewed for biographical insight into the life of rapper Eminem on the A&E Biography episode devoted to that musician.^[9]

On March 29, 2012, Touré criticized Piers Morgan's interview of Robert Zimmerman regarding his brother George's shooting of Trayvon Martin on Morgan's CNN talk show, Piers Morgan Tonight, stating that Morgan failed to ask Zimmerman challenging questions, and provided a platform for mendacity on Zimmerman's part. After Morgan and Touré initially traded personal insults, they agreed to an interview on the March 30, 2012 episode of Piers Morgan Tonight.^[10] The two continued their hostilities during the March 30 interview, with Morgan calling into question Touré's journalistic professionalism and Touré arguing that Morgan's relatively short time in the United States made him less empathetic to the American experience. The two continued to feud on Twitter after the show's taping.^[11]

Personal life[link]

On March 19, 2005, Touré married Rita Nakouzi on a beach in Miami, with Rev. Run from Run-DMC as the officiant and Nelson George as the best man. Touré and his wife live in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.^[12] They have a son named Hendrix and a daughter named Fairuz.^[13]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Touré

• Touré on Twitter
• Touré on Facebook
• Touré on Typepad blog
• The Career Cookbook Touré profile

Ali Farka Touré
Background information
Birth name	Ali Ibrahim Touré
Born	(1939-10-31)October 31, 1939 Timbuktu, Mali
Origin	Niafunké, Mali
Died	March 7, 2006(2006-03-07) (aged 66) Bamako, Mali
Genres	Blues Malian Folk Folk
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar, Cabasa, Njarka
Labels	World Circuit

Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré (October 31, 1939 – March 7, 2006) was a Malian singer and guitarist, and one of the African continent’s most internationally renowned musicians.^[1] His music is widely regarded as representing a point of intersection of traditional Malian music and its North American cousin, the blues. The belief that the latter is historically derived from the former is reflected in Martin Scorsese’s often quoted characterization of Touré’s tradition as constituting "the DNA of the blues".^[2] Touré was ranked number 76 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.^[3]

Biography[link]

He was born in 1939 in the village of Kanau, on the banks of the Niger River in the cercle of Gourma Rharous in the northwestern Malian region of Tombouctou. His family moved to the nearby village of Niafunké when he was still an infant.^[4] He was the tenth son of his mother but the only one to survive past infancy. “The name I was given was Ali Ibrahim, but it’s a custom in Africa to give a child a strange nickname if you have had other children who have died”,^[4] Touré was quoted as saying in a biography on his Record Label, World Circuit Records. His nickname, “Farka”, chosen by his parents, means “donkey”, an animal admired for its tenacity and stubbornness: “Let me make one thing clear. I’m the donkey that nobody climbs on!”^[4] Ethnically, he was part Songrai part Fula.^[4]

As the first African bluesman to achieve widespread popularity on his home continent, Touré was often known as “the African John Lee Hooker”.^[5] Musically, the many superpositions of guitars and rhythms in his music were similar to John Lee Hooker’s hypnotic blues style. He usually sang in one of several African languages, mostly Songhay, Fulfulde, Tamasheq or Bambara^[4] as on his breakthrough album, Ali Farka Touré, which established his reputation in the world music community.

His first North American concert was in Harrison Hot Springs, British Columbia^{[citation needed]}. 1994’s Talking Timbuktu, a collaboration with Ry Cooder, sold promisingly well in Western markets, but was followed by a hiatus from releases in America and Europe. He reappeared in 1999 with the release of Niafunké, a more traditional album focusing on African rhythms and beats. Touré was the mentor and uncle of popular Malian musician Afel Bocoum^{[citation needed]}.

Some of Ali Farka Touré’s songs and tunes have been used in different programmes, films and documentaries.^[6] For instance, his guitar riff on the song “Diaraby”, from the album Talking Timbuktu, was selected for the Geo-quiz segment of The World PRI-BBC program, and was retained by popular demand when put to a vote of the listeners.^[7] This song is likewise used in 1998 as a soundtrack for the film L’Assedio (Besieged) by the Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci^{[citation needed]}. His songs Cinquante six, Goye Kur and Hawa Dolo from the album The Source are also used as a soundtrack in the French film Fin août, début septembre (Late August, Early September) directed in 1998 by Olivier Assayas.^[6] The song "Lasidan" was featured in the award winning documentary "Sharkwater" by Rob Stewart.

In 2002 he appeared with Black American blues and reggae performer Corey Harris, on an album called Mississippi to Mali (Rounder Records). Toure and Harris also appeared together in Martin Scorsese's 2003 documentary film Feel Like Going Home,^[6] which traced the roots of blues back to its genesis in West Africa. The film was narrated by Harris and features Ali’s performances on guitar and njarka.

In 2004 Touré became mayor of Niafunké and spent his own money grading the roads, putting in sewer canals and fuelling a generator that provided the impoverished town with electricity.^[4]

In September 2005, he released the album In the Heart of the Moon, a collaboration with Toumani Diabaté, for which he received a second Grammy award.^[4] His last album, Savane, was posthumously released in July 2006. It was received with wide acclaim by professionals and fans alike and has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the category “Best Contemporary World Music Album”^{[citation needed]}. The panel of experts from the World Music Chart Europe (WMCE), a chart voted by the leading World Music specialists around Europe, chose Savane as their Album of the Year 2006, with the album topping the chart for three consecutive months (September to November 2006).^[8] The album has also been listed as No. 1 in the influential Metacritic’s “Best Albums of 2006” poll,^[9] and No. 5 in its all-time best reviewed albums.^[10] Ali Farka Touré has also recently been nominated for the BBC Radio 3 awards 2007.^[11]

On March 7, 2006, the Ministry of Culture of Mali announced his death at age 66 in Bamako from bone cancer, against which he had been battling for some time. His record label, World Circuit, said that he recorded several tracks with his son, Vieux Farka Touré, for Vieux’s debut album which was released in late 2006^{[citation needed]}.

Cultural references[link]

• In the French film The Spanish Apartment (2002) two characters are seen playing air guitar to “Ai Du”.^[6]
• In the movie Unfaithful (2002), Diane Lane and Olivier Martinez slow dance to “Ai Du”.^[6]
• In the French film Irma Vep (1996), Maggie Cheung and Nathalie Richard ride an old motorcycle down the quay to Touré’s song “Soukoura”.^[6]
• In the 2005 travel film Michael Palin: SAHARA, his music is heard in a scene about Nigerian nomads.^{[citation needed]}
• "The World", a radio show distributed by Public Radio International, uses the song "Diaraby" as the theme to their Geoquiz. The song is a collaboration between Touré and Ry Cooder; the song is featured on their Talking Timbuktu album.^[7]
• In 2008, Zack de la Rocha's lyrics from "If You Fear Dying" on One Day as a Lion's debut album references Ali: "I'm in with the spirit of Ali Touré, as I target more heads than a priest on Ash Wednesday."^{[citation needed]}

Discography[link]

• 1976 - Ali Touré Farka (Sonafric 50016-LP)
• 1976 - Spécial « Biennale du Mali » (Sonafric 50020-LP)
• 1978 - Biennale (Sonafric 50032-LP)
• 1979 - Ali Touré Farka (Sonafric 50060-LP)
• 1980 - Ali Touré dit Farka (Sonafric 50085-LP)
• 1984 - Ali Farka Touré (Red) (Sonodisc/Esperance 5558)
• 1988 - Ali Farka Touré (Green) (Sonodisc/Esperance 8448)
• 1988 - Ali Farka Touré (World Circuit WCD007 / Mango 9826)
• 1990 - African Blues (Shanachie 65002) (originally released as Ali Farka Touré (Green))
• 1990 - The River (World Circuit WCD017 / Mango 9897)
• 1993 - The Source (World Circuit WCD030 / Hannibal 1375) with Taj Mahal
• 1994 - Talking Timbuktu (World Circuit WCD040 / Hannibal 1381) (with Ry Cooder)
• 1996 - Radio Mali (World Circuit WCD044 / Nonesuch 79569) (remastered selections of original albums from 1975 through 1980)
• 1999 - Niafunké (World Circuit WCD054 / Hannibal 1443)
• 2002 - Mississippi to Mali (Rounder B0000DJZA1)(with Corey Harris)
• 2004 - Red&Green (World Circuit WCD070 / Nonesuch 79882) (remastered original albums from 1984 and 1988)
• 2005 - In the Heart of the Moon (World Circuit WCD072 / Nonesuch 79920) (with Toumani Diabaté and Ry Cooder)
• 2006 - Savane (World Circuit WCD075 / Nonesuch 79965)
• 2010 - Ali and Toumani - (World Circuit/Nonesuch Records) with Toumani Diabaté^[12]

See also[link]

• African fingerstyle guitar
• African music

Filmography[link]

• 2002 - Ali Farka Touré - Le miel n'est jamais bon dans une seule bouche - a documentary film by Marc Huraux^[13]
• "A Visit to Ali Farka Toure" was released on DVD in the UK by Digital Classics DVD.
• I'll Sing for You 2001

References[link]

• Kubik, Gerhard (1999). Africa and the Blues. Jackson, Mississippi: University Press of Mississippi. ISBN 1-57806-145-8 (hardcover); ISBN 1-57806-146-6 (paperback).
• Guralnick, Peter, ed. (2003). Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: A Musical Journey. A companion book to the PBS documentary series Martin Scorsese Presents the Blues: A Musical Journey. Foreword by Alex Gibney; afterword by Chuck D. New York: Amistad.

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official page on MySpace
• Multimedia website
• Fondation Ali Farka Touré (French)
• Ali Farka Touré at NPR Music
• A Thorough Discography (click on the images for more info. and sample music)
• "ALI FARKA TOURE, springing from the roots " 1999 Documentary 52'

Toumani Diabaté
Toumani Diabaté describing the construction of the kora during a performance at Afrofest 2007 in Toronto, Ontario
Background information
Born	(1965-08-10) August 10, 1965 (age 46)
Origin	Mali
Genres	Mali Music, Pop, World music
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Kora
Years active	1987–present
Labels	World Circuit
Website	worldcircuit.co.uk/#Toumani_Diabate
Notable instruments
Kora

Toumani Diabaté (born August 10, 1965) is a Malian kora player. In addition to performing the traditional music of Mali, he has also been involved in cross-cultural collaborations with flamenco, blues, jazz, and other international styles.

Biography[link]

Diabaté comes from a long family tradition of kora players including his father Sidiki Diabaté, who recorded the first ever kora album in 1970. His family's oral tradition tells of 71 generations of musicians preceding him in a patrilineal line. His cousin Sona Jobarteh is the first female kora player to come from a Griot family.

In 1987, Diabate made his first appearance on an album in the UK, on Ba Togoma, an album featuring his father's ensemble. In 1988 Diabaté released his first album in the West, a solo album entitled Kaira, recorded in one afternoon in London and produced by Lucy Duran.

In addition to performing Malian traditional music, Diabaté has also performed and recorded in cross-cultural settings. He has collaborated with flamenco group Ketama, forming a combined group known as Songhai and releasing two recordings: Songhai I and Songhai II. In 2006, Diabaté collaborated with American blues musician Taj Mahal on the release Kulanjan. "MALIcool" is a collaboration with American jazz trombonist Roswell Rudd. He also collaborated with the Icelandic popular musician Björk on her 2007 album Volta.

In 1999 Diabaté released the album New Ancient Strings, a collaboration with Ballake Sissoko and in September 2005, he released In the Heart of the Moon, for which he collaborated with Ali Farka Touré. The album went on to win the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album. On July 25, 2006 he released his latest album Boulevard de l'Indépendance, recorded with his Symmetric Orchestra. In the Heart of the Moon and Boulevard de l'Indépendance, are both part of the Hotel Mandé Sessions, recorded by Nick Gold and released on World Circuit Records. Both Boulevard and Hotel Mandé are references to landmarks in Mali's capital city, Bamako.

The Symmetric Orchestra led by Toumani Diabaté is composed of musicians (mostly griots)^[1] from the across the old Mande Empire of west Africa, who play a mix of traditional instruments including the kora, djembe, balafon and bolombatto, as well as modern ones like the guitar and electronic keyboard.

Diabaté appeared in 2006 at the WOMAD Festival UK, Roskilde Festival in Denmark, and at the Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary. In 2007 he performed at the Glastonbury Festival and toured the U.S.A.. In 2008, he was at WOMADelaide (in Adelaide, South Australia).^[2] In early 2008, Diabaté released his new album of solo Kora music, The Mande Variations, to widespread critical acclaim. Many reviewers praised the album for its detailed recording of the Kora and careful mastering, in addition to the improvisational skills and wide range of apparent influences displayed on the album.^[3]

In October 2008 the Arabic language lyrics in Diabaté's song Tapha Niang (from Boulevard de l'Indépendance) were removed from the PlayStation 3 video game LittleBigPlanet, after it elicited objections from a Muslim individual due to their inclusion of verses from the Qur’an.^[4] The publisher Sony Computer Entertainment Europe decided to delay the launch of the game by a week and recall most discs in order to replace the song with a lyric-free instrumental version. However, some copies of the original game had already been sold in the Middle East and United States.^[5]

Diabaté was chosen by Matt Groening to perform at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival in May 2010 in Minehead. Diabaté also performed at Hay Festival in June. In July he performed at the Larmer Tree Festival to huge acclaim.

Discography[link]

Toumani Diabate performing at the 2007 Winnipeg Folk Festival

• 1987 - "Ba Togoma" (with Sidiki Diabaté, Mariama Kouyaté, Djeli Mady Sissoko, Kandia Kouayté)
• 1988 - Kaira
• 1988 - Songhai (with Ketama and Danny Thompson)
• 1994 - Songhai 2 (with Ketama and Danny Thompson)
• 1995 - Djelika
• 1999 - New Ancient Strings (with Ballake Sissoko)
• 1999 - Kulanjan (with Taj Mahal)
• 2001 - Jarabi: the Best of Toumani Diabate
• 2002 - Malicool (with Roswell Rudd)
• 2005 - In the Heart of the Moon (with Ali Farka Touré)
• 2006 - Boulevard de l'Indépendance
• 2008 - The Mandé Variations
• 2010 - Ali and Toumani - (World Circuit/Nonesuch Records) (with Ali Farka Touré)
• 2011 - A Curva da Cintura (with Arnaldo Antunes and Edgard Scandurra) - Brazil

Filmography[link]

• Bamako Is a Miracle by Maurice Engler, Arnaud Robert and Samuel Chalard (Afro Blue, Geneva 2003).
• Toumani Diabaté - Koraklänge aus dem Land der Flusspferde by Martina Pfaff (WDR, Cologne 2007).

References[link]

External links[link]

• Toumani Diabaté official website
• Toumani Diabaté on the label website (worldcircuit.co.uk)
• Official Toumani Diabaté biography
• Toumani Diabaté on Myspace
• Afropop Worldwide Slideshow of Toumani Diabate Performing Live in Brooklyn (July 2007)
• The Kora Star (August 2007)
• 'Our music is older than Bach' - Interview in The Guardian (October 2008)
• Info on the kora & Toumani Diabaté
• Toumoani Diabante review in The New Current
• Making of Boulevard de L'Indépendance short documentary
• Making of In the Heart of the Moon short documentary
• Ali and Toumani Review and interview with Tounami Diabaté| Folk Radio UK

Dylan Ratigan
Host of MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show
Born	Dylan Jason Ratigan (1972-04-19) April 19, 1972 (age 40) Saranac Lake, New York
Occupation	Television journalist and show host
Notable credit(s)	Host of MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show
Website
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31510813/

Dylan Jason Ratigan (born (1972-04-19)April 19, 1972) is a New York Times Best-Selling author and host of MSNBC's The Dylan Ratigan Show, the highest-rated, non-prime time show on the network, aimed at critiquing what Ratigan sees as an unholy alliance between big business and government.^[1] He is also a frequent contributor to The Huffington Post.

The former Global Managing Editor for Corporate Finance at Bloomberg L.P., Ratigan has developed and launched more than half a dozen broadcast and new media properties. They include CNBC’s Fast Money and Closing Bell, as well as DylanRatigan.com, which is home to his podcast, “Greedy Bastards Antidote.”

His first book, Greedy Bastards, was released on January 10, 2012 and spent five consecutive weeks on the New York Times Best-Sellers List.^[2]

Early life[link]

Ratigan was born in the village of Saranac Lake in upstate New York. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political economics from Union College in Schenectady, where he was a member of the crew team.^[3]

Journalism career[link]

Ratigan served as the Global Managing Editor for Corporate Finance at Bloomberg News Service, and before that had covered Mergers and Acquisitions, the U.S. Stock Market and IPOs. At Bloomberg, he co-created and hosted Morning Call for Bloomberg's cable network and the USA Network.^[3] He has served as a contributor to ABC News and his articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Miami Herald and Chicago Tribune.^[3]

Ratigan was the host of Fast Money (co-created with Susan Krakower^[3] and launching on June 21, 2006). Previously, he was the first anchor of CNBC's On the Money. He also anchored the CNBC TV program Bullseye for about a year and a half. In addition to his former duties as co-anchor on Closing Bell, Ratigan was a rotating co-anchor of The Call.

Ratigan left as host of Fast Money in 2009, provoked by outrage over the government’s handling of the 2008 financial crisis. Since then, he has dedicated his work to launching platforms that engage and debate the U.S. government on policy, while opening the door for millions to learn more about money’s often poisonous role in democracy. The New York Times reported he was considering all options but quoted him as saying he was dedicated to covering the economy, "the story that is affecting every American in every setting."^[4]

Morning Meeting launched June 29, 2009.^[5] Ratigan also contributes to other NBC News programs. Ratigan described the show's imperative as "to discuss any and all political issues with no directive other than to provide compelling content."^[6] The show was the second ever on the network to air in HD, as the network launched their programming in that format.^[7]

On May 27, 2010, Ratigan appeared as a guest host on the daily internet news and opinion show, The Young Turks. Cenk Uygur, regular host of The Young Turks is a frequent guest on The Dylan Ratigan Show.

On January 9, 2012, he appeared as a guest on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC,^[8] discussing the premise of his book, Greedy Bastards, viz. the swindling and robbing of America by "government corruption and corporate communism, incensed by banksters shaking down taxpayers, and despairing of an ailing health care system, an age-old dependency on foreign oil, and a failing educational system".^[9] He stated that he has gained weight and started smoking due to his frustration.

Reporting[link]

Ratigan reported on NASCAR for the program NASCAR Gold and about Las Vegas for Las Vegas, Inc on CNBC on Assignment.

Ratigan won the Gerald Loeb Award for 2004 coverage of the Enron scandal.^[3]

In Ratigan's final CNBC broadcast from the floor of the NYSE he reported on what he called "an important story developing" that Goldman Sachs and "a variety of European banks," in his assessment and that of his guests, essentially "perpetrated securities fraud" and an "insurance fraud scam" against AIG — and, by extension, the government and taxpayers funding that insurance company's "bailout" — by insuring their questionable investment vehicles and, upon their devaluation, making claims on them to be paid by AIG "at 100 cents on the dollar" despite all of the markdowns "being forced upon every other" entity including the government, banks, shareholders, bond holders, taxpayers and homeowners.^[10]

"I think that it should be a bigger political issue than whether somebody bought an airplane ... Forget the private jets, forget who got a million dollar bonus. Fifty billion dollars," he said, minimizing what he saw as populist side issues to "the real question" of how "government policy makers" are to deal with the "problems of contract law" inherent in the agreements of businesses receiving government assistance during the financial crisis.^[10]

"The banks are being asked to take 'haircuts' on their toxic assets, why are the Goldmans and the Deutsche Banks of the world not being asked to take haircuts on their toxic credit default swaps? It's a real question. I will continue to pursue it for sure, I hope others will as well." Ratigan praised New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's subpoena of AIG to determine the bank payouts as "legitimate inquiry" and looked forward to "a body of lawmakers in Washington, D.C., who are going to ask, it appears, some of the same questions that I'm asking." ^[10]

2011 rant[link]

On the August 10, 2011, broadcast of The Dylan Ratigan Show, in a round table discussion of the market meltdown following the Budget Control Act of 2011, Ratigan went on a two-minute-long rant against what he perceived to be the state of politics in the United States government, saying:

"We've got a real problem! This is a mathematical fact! Tens of trillions of dollars are being extracted from the United States of America. Democrats aren't doing it, Republicans aren't doing it. An entire integrated system, financial system, trading system, taxing system, that was created by both parties over a period of two decades is at work on our entire country right now. And we're sitting here arguing about whether we should do the $4 trillion plan that kicks the can down the road for the president for 2017, or burn the place to the ground, both of which are reckless, irresponsible, and stupid."^[11]

The video of his impassioned speech went viral^[12] and was praised by other media sources. TV Newser wrote that it was "a powerful, emotional editorial on the economy and Washington".^[13] On a followup post on his website the day after he wrote that he had received a lot of positive mail from viewers, writing "I’m mad as hell. And according to the piles and piles of responses I got after my rant, so are you."^[14]

Appearances[link]

Ratigan appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2008 to discuss the financial crisis.^[15] He has also appeared on The Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert^[16] and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.^[17]

References[link]