Nelson George

Born in Brooklyn, Nelson George is an American music and culture critic, author, and filmmaker who began in music journalism and has received two nominations for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He attended St. John's University, interned at the New York Amsterdam News, and became black music editor for Record World before serving as a music editor at Billboard from 1982 to 1989. He wrote books including The Death of Rhythm & Blues and Hip Hop America and contributed the Native Son column to the Village Voice from 1988 to 1992. His film work began when he helped finance the debut feature by Spike Lee, She's Gotta Have It (1986). He later co-wrote Strictly Business (1991), co-created CB4 (1993), and directed Life Support (2007), which starred Queen Latifah and was named best TV film by the NAACP. His documentaries include Brooklyn Boheme (2012), Finding The Funk (2013), and A Ballerina's Tale (2015).