Skip to main content

Header Navigation

Artists

Greg Tate

He // Him // His

Cultural Critic

New York, New York

Photo of Greg Tate.

Photo courtesy of the artist.

The Source magazine called cultural critic, journalist, and musician Greg Tate one of the “Godfathers of Hip-Hop Journalism” for his incisive views on the genre’s cultural implications. Formerly a staff writer at the Village Voice (1987–2005), Tate’s books include Flyboy in the Buttermilk: Essays on Contemporary America (1992) and Everything But the Burden: What White People Are Taking from Black Culture (2003). In addition to publishing interviews with numerous luminaries such as Miles Davis, George Clinton, Cassandra Wilson, and Ornette Coleman, he has written one play, My Darlin Gremlin (produced 1993), and a science-fiction short film, Black Body Radiation (2006). He is also musical director of Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber, a conducted-improvisation musical ensemble.

Donor -This award was generously supported by the Ford Foundation.

This artist page was last updated on: 01.14.2025

Cover of book by Greg Tate.

Flyboy in the Buttermilk: Essays on Contemporary America by Greg Tate, 1992.

Photo courtesy of Simon & Schuster.