About
Earl Hopkins is an award-winning features reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer, covering arts, entertainment, and culture throughout the region. He’s also the co-author of the upcoming book, Raps of Resistance: How Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole Reignited a Hip-Hop Tradition.
Work
Along with his editorial work, Earl is a nationally featured photographer, keynote speaker, and digital media instructor, who’s engaged with aspiring media professionals at institutions and conferences around the country.
He’s also the founder of Hopkins Media Enterprises LLC, a fully digital production house that specializes in content development and brand consulting for news organizations and higher-ed institutions.
Forthcoming Book
Conscious rap, a sub-genre of hip-hop music that engages in dialogue about social and political issues and often challenges systems of oppression, ascended with pioneers like Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Public Enemy, Ice Cube, and other acts at the helm. But in recent decades, it lost much of its favor in pop culture and mainstream hip-hop.
In Raps of Resistance, Earl Hopkins and Jeremy C. McCool explore the evolution of the sub-genre and chronicle the rise of Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. The two rappers are synonymous with chart-topping hits, but their confessional poetry and soul-stirring lyrics have preserved the revolutionary spirit of their hip-hop forefathers and reignited conscious rap in the mainstream.
Recent Bylines
