Hello my name is Jabari "Dr. Naledge" Evans and I am an Assistant Professor of Race and Media at the University of South Carolina and earned my PhD from the Department of Communication Studies at Northwestern University. My research focuses on the digital spaces that urban youth and young adults of color develop and inhabit, collectively and individually, to learn about and understand their social environments, emotional development, academic achievement and professional aspirations. Within these sub-cultures, I often examine the self-expression of Black youth, often highlighting their usage of digital tools and technologies. As a secondary focus, I also examine the cultural production and community building of DIY Hip-Hop scenes. My recent work has focused on how youth make meaning of Hip-Hop composition in formal class settings as well has how youth digital media programs produce civic engagement in their participants. My dissertation project, which centered on a Hip-Hop Education program in Chicago Public Schools, has been recognized for awards by the International Communication Association and has been covered in popular press by the Chicago Reader, Chicago Tribune, Rolling Out Magazine, Ebony Magazine and Chicago Crain's Business. Additionally, I am a past selection for Microsoft Research Social Media Collective's PhD Summer Internship Program and a current visiting scholar at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet Studies at Harvard University.
I am a community-oriented researcher who uses mixed methods to uncover as much about the lived experiences of urban youth (and young adults) as I can. Understanding how urban youth behave requires in-depth information about the places where they live. Ultimately, I use my cross-disciplinary experiences as a practitioner, artist and academic, to examine the social ecologies of young people and their future of opportunity in the innovation economy. Through media studies, my hope is to inform strategies toward violence prevention, workforce development, urban education, public policy and social services for urban youth.
Long before I ever considered even being a PhD student, I have been known as a hip hop emcee. Those familiar with that side of me, know me as Naledge -the rapping half of the hip hop duo, Kidz in the Hall. Since 2005, our group released 6 studio albums, appeared on several nationally syndicated television shows, toured in 12 countries and sold more than 300,000 records worldwide on both Duckdown Records and Rawkus Records. Most recently, we released Adulting Anonymous in 2022. Even as a scholar, I continue to create music and I am grateful to have created songs that many so people enjoy to this day.
I would like to personally welcome you to my homepage. This site is a personal portal to those that are interested in delving further into the mind of me and it will be updated regularly with new music, new blog entries (academic and personal) and whatever musings from my everyday life. Live.Love.Laugh. Enjoy!
- Jabari
I am a community-oriented researcher who uses mixed methods to uncover as much about the lived experiences of urban youth (and young adults) as I can. Understanding how urban youth behave requires in-depth information about the places where they live. Ultimately, I use my cross-disciplinary experiences as a practitioner, artist and academic, to examine the social ecologies of young people and their future of opportunity in the innovation economy. Through media studies, my hope is to inform strategies toward violence prevention, workforce development, urban education, public policy and social services for urban youth.
Long before I ever considered even being a PhD student, I have been known as a hip hop emcee. Those familiar with that side of me, know me as Naledge -the rapping half of the hip hop duo, Kidz in the Hall. Since 2005, our group released 6 studio albums, appeared on several nationally syndicated television shows, toured in 12 countries and sold more than 300,000 records worldwide on both Duckdown Records and Rawkus Records. Most recently, we released Adulting Anonymous in 2022. Even as a scholar, I continue to create music and I am grateful to have created songs that many so people enjoy to this day.
I would like to personally welcome you to my homepage. This site is a personal portal to those that are interested in delving further into the mind of me and it will be updated regularly with new music, new blog entries (academic and personal) and whatever musings from my everyday life. Live.Love.Laugh. Enjoy!
- Jabari
"I am passionate about the SELF-EXPRESSION, identity development, aspirational labor and pathways gaps For Black Youth in DIGITAL MEDIA."
Twitter: @naledgesince82
Instagram: DrNaledge
TikTok: DrNaledge
