M. K. Asante

Cover of Buck: A Memoir (Random House) by MK Asante

Asante is the author of four books, most notably Buck (2013), a memoir about his troubled youth in Philadelphia. Buck was selected as a Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers pick and made the Washington Post bestseller list in 2014 and 2015.[3][4] Poet Maya Angelou, who mentored Asante, described Buck as "a story of surviving and thriving with passion, compassion, wit, and style."[5]

Asante is a Sundance Institute Feature Film Fellow for the movie adaptation of his memoir Buck. Asante wrote and produced the 2005 documentary 500 Years Later, a documentary about slavery which received the Breaking the Chains Award from UNESCO. Asante directed and produced The Black Candle (2012), a documentary about Kwanzaa, co-written and narrated by Maya Angelou.

Asante has delivered numerous lectures, including the Yale University Master's Tea; Vanderbilt University Walter R. Murray Jr. Lecture; Southern Methodist University Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture; and commencement addresses at UCLA, University of Wisconsin, Arizona State University, Vassar, and Harvard University.

Asante is featured in Changing America: 1968 and Beyond, a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Asante has written essays on art, Hip Hop, technology, and culture for USA Today,[6] Huffington Post,[7] San Francisco Chronicle,[8] and the New York Times.[9]

Asante's debut music project, the Buck: Original Book Soundtrack, was released on May 14, 2015.

Asante is featured on the song "Bangers", along with Halo, from the album Indie 500 by Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder.

Asante is the founder of Wonderful Sound Studios.

On November 30, 2020, he performed and debuted "We the Eagles" on ESPN's NFL Monday Night Football.

Asante is a graduate of The Crefeld School.[10] He studied film and literature at the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies, earned a BA in Africana Studies and English from Lafayette College, and an M.F.A. in Screenwriting from UCLA School of Theater Film and Television.[11]

At 23, he joined the faculty of Morgan State University. He received tenure at 26[12] and is currently Associate Professor of creative writing and film in the Department of English and Language Arts.[13] In 2017, he was appointed to Distinguished Professor-in-Residence at the MICA (Institute of Strategic Marketing and Communication) in India.[14]

Asante is the host and co-executive producer of While Black with MK Asante, a docuseries produced by Snapchat.[15] While Black with MK Asante takes the stories of America’'s black youth and gives them a platform in the smartphones of millions of America’s teens.[16] He was featured in several VH1 commercials celebrating Black History Month.

• 2015: Buck: Original Book Soundtrack by MK Asante

• 2013: "The Color Grey" – Bishop Lamont ft. Mykisha Thomas and MK Asante (produced by Chris Noxx)
• 2014: "My Victory" – MK Asante ft. Maya Angelou (produced by J Dilla)
• 2014: "The Bulletin" – MK Asante ft. Uzi (produced by Faze Miyake)
• 2015: "Young Bucks" – MK Asante ft. Mez (Produced by J-Mac and Commissioner Gordon)
• 2020: "We the Eagles" - MK Asante (Produced by Mez)

• 2013: "Godz N The Hood" – Ras Kass ft. Bishop Lamont, MK Asante and Talib Kweli (produced by Chris Noxx)
• 2015: "Rap Psalms" – MK Asante ft. Narcy (Produced by Thanks Joey)
• 2015: "Bangers" – MK Asante and Halo (Produced by Nottz)
• 2016: "Runnin" – Ace Clark ft. MK Asante (Produced by Scarecrow Beats)