Todd Boyd facts for kids

Todd Boyd, also known as "Notorious Ph.D.", is a professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He holds a special position that focuses on how race and popular culture connect.

Professor Boyd is an expert on American popular culture. He is known for his important work on movies, media, hip hop music, fashion, art, and sports. He writes books, produces films, and gives advice as a consultant. He also appears on TV and in documentaries to share his knowledge.

He earned his PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa in 1991. He started teaching at USC in 1992.

Documentaries Featuring Todd Boyd

Since the late 1990s, Todd Boyd has appeared in many documentaries. These films often win awards!

He was featured in The Last Dance (2020), a popular series about basketball. This show won an Emmy Award. He also appeared in Twenty Feet From Stardom (2013), which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary.

Some other documentaries he has been in include:

• The Crossover: 50 Years of Sports and Hip Hop (2023)
• Goliath (about Wilt Chamberlain, 2023)
• Say Hey, Willie Mays! (2022)
• Ken Burns’ Muhammad Ali (2021)
• Blood Brothers (2021)
• The Movies (2019)
• Sammy Davis Jr.: I Gotta Be Me (2019)

Video Essays by Dr. Boyd

Todd Boyd creates video essays that explore art and music. These are like short video documentaries.

His video essay Basquiat: Bebop 2 Hip Hop (2021) is about the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. It shows how music influenced Basquiat's art. Another video essay is “Dr. Todd Boyd on David Hammons” (2021). Both are part of series from The Broad museum.

Books and Articles by Todd Boyd

Todd Boyd has written or edited eight books. He has also written over 100 articles and essays.

Some of his books include:

• Rapper’s Deluxe: How Hip Hop Made the World (2024)
• The Notorious Ph.D’s Guide to the Super Fly 70s (2007)
• Young Black Rich and Famous (2003)
• The New H.N.I.C (2002)
• Am I Black Enough for You? (1997)

His writings have also appeared in major newspapers. These include the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Chicago Tribune.

Todd Boyd's Work in Cinema

Todd Boyd has worked behind the scenes in movies and documentaries.

He was an executive producer for the Netflix documentary At All Costs (2016). He also helped write and produce the film The Wood (1999).

He has also provided voice commentary for the DVD versions of classic films. These include Super Fly (1972) and Uptown Saturday Night (1974).

More Film and TV Appearances

Here is a list of other films and TV shows where Todd Boyd has appeared:

• The Crossover: 50 Years of Sports and Hip Hop (ESPN, 2023)
• Goliath [Wilt Chamberlain] (Showtime, 2023)
• Black Pop: Celebrating the Power of Black Culture (E, 2023)
• Say Hey, Willie Mays! (HBO, 2022)
• Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers (Hulu, 2022)
• Right To Offend: The Black Comedy Revolution (Comedy Central, 2022)
• The Great Debate with Charles Barkley (TBS, 2022)
• We Need to Talk About Cosby (Showtime, January 2022)
• Ken Burns’ Muhammad Ali (PBS, 2021)
• Bitchin’: The Sound and Fury of Rick James (Showtime, 2021)
• Blood Brothers: Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali (Netflix, 2021)
• Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson (Apple TV+, July 2021)
• Fear of a Black Quarterback (Vice, 2021)
• Mike Tyson: The Knockout (ABC/Hulu, 2021)
• The Story of Late Night (CNN, 2021)
• The March on Washington: Keepers of the Dream (National Geographic Channel [NGO] 2021)
• Tuskegee Airmen: Legacy of Courage (History Channel, 2021)
• Biography: I Want My MTV (A&E, 2020)
• Blackballed (Quibi, 2020)
• The Last Dance (ESPN, 2020)
• Vick (ESPN, 2020)
• You Ain't Got These (Quibi, 2020)
• Dave Parker: The Cobra in Twilight (MLB Network, 2019)
• College Football 150: The American Game (ESPN, 2019)
• NFL 360: DeSean Jackson's Bond with Nipsey Hussle (NFL Network, 2019)
• A Complicated Man: The Shaft Legacy (Shaft, DVD/Blu-Ray additional features 2019)
• Dennis Rodman: For Better or Worse (30 For 30, ESPN, 2019)
• I Am Richard Pryor (Paramount Network/Comedy Central, 2019)
• Sammy Davis Jr.: I Gotta Be Me (American Masters/PBS, 2019)
• American Style (CNN, 2019)
• The Super Bowl That Wasn't (NFL Network, 2019)
• Shut Up and Dribble (Showtime, 2018)
• The 2000s (CNN, 2018)
• "Ed Gordon Presents: Am I Black Enough?" feature documentary (Brown Sugar/Bounce TV 2018)
• Death Row Chronicles (BET, 2018)
• The History of Comedy (CNN, 2017)
• The Nineties (CNN, 2017)
• American Race (TNT, May 2017)
• The LA Riots: 25 Years Later (History Channel, 2017)
• Soundtracks: Songs That Defined History (CNN, 2017)
• Soundbreaking: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music (PBS, 2016)
• At All Costs: Life Inside the World of AAU Basketball (Netflix, 2016)
• Jim Brown: A Football Life (NFL Network, 2016)
• (Roots of Fight Presents) Ali: Birth of the Greatest (Spike TV, 2016)
• Streets of Compton (A&E, 2016)
• The Drew: No Excuse, Just Produce (Showtime, 2016)
• Fresh Dressed (CNN Films, 2015)
• Trojan Wars (30 For 30, ESPN, 2015)
• Richard Pryor: Icon (PBS, 2014)
• Twenty Feet From Stardom (2013) [Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, 2014]
• The Godfather Legacy (The History Channel, 2012)
• Scarface: The Inside Story (Biography Channel, 2012)
• Uprising: Hip Hop and the L.A. Riots (Rock Docs, VH1, 2012)
• Planet Rock: The Story of Hip and the Crack Generation (Rock Docs, VH1, 2011)
• Runnin' Rebels of UNLV (HBO, 2011)
• Straight Outta L.A. (30 For 30, ESPN, 2010)
• Why We Laugh: Black Comedians on Black Comedy (Showtime, 2009)
• Bloods and Crips: Made in America (Independent Lens, PBS, 2008)
• N.W.A.: The World's Most Dangerous Group (Rock Docs, VH1, 2008)
• Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life (BET, 2007)
• Dare Not Walk Alone (NAACP Image Award Nominee, 2006)
• Perfect Upset: 1985 Georgetown vs. Villanova NCAA Championship (HBO, 2005)
• The O.J. Verdict (Frontline/PBS, 2005)
• The N Word (Feature Documentary, 2004)
• O.J. Simpson: A Study in Black and White (HBO, 2002)
• Bill Russell: My Life, My Way (HBO, 2000)
• The Harlem Globetrotters (Biography/A&E, 1999)