Harry Allen is a hip-hop activist, perhaps best known for his blog "Media Assassin" that he runs on his personal website. There he writes about race, politics, and culture, much as he does for Vibe, The Source, The Village Voice, and other publications, and has been doing so for over twenty years. Harry considered a career in photography but ultimately dropped the idea. He went on to write an article on the RAP group Public Enemy, with which he has long been associated. Therefore, after the band was accused of anti-Semitism, "Allen was the natural choice to negotiate the love-hate relationship between Public Enemy and the press." Consequently, he began seeing himself as a "hip hop activist and media assassin," becoming the group's publicist as "director of Enemy relations." He even made a "cameo" on Public Enemy's classic record, "Don't Believe the Hype." Allen was an early supporter of the internet. He created an online presence for Public Enemy in 1991, published the webzine Rap Dot Com, and lead a panel discussion on music and the internet during the New Music Seminar. As an expert covering hip-hop culture, he has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, on National Public Radio, MTV, VH-1, CNN, the BBC, and other information channels. Allen serves as an advisor to the Archives of African American Music and Culture (AAAMC) at Indiana University, and as the host/producer of his weekly radio show, NONFICTION. He also co-founded the Rhythm Cultural Institute, which moderates and hosts seminars.Harry Allen worked in the crisis p.r. / public affairs department of computer entertainment giant Rockstar Games from 2004-2006. (He considers his credit on the hit title Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas his proudest byline.) Presently, he is writing a book about architectural design in computer and video games. This research has already been recognized by the Graham Foundation, the Smithsonian Institution's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Architectural League of New York, and the MacDowell Colony. Harry Allen lives with his wife, Zakiya, in Harlem, NY. He is still an avid photographer in his free time and his pictures were even shown at his own exhibition.
What he presents:
Shooting The Enemy: My Life In Pictures With The People Who Became Public Enemy
Hip Hop Culture, Race and their collision
Moderation and Presenting of Events