Touré (journalist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Touré
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Touré in 2014
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| Born | Touré Neblett March 20, 1971 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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| Spouse |
Rita Nakouzi
(m. 2005) |
| Children | 2 |
Touré (born Touré Neblett; March 20, 1971) is an American writer and TV personality. He is known for his work as a music journalist and for sharing his thoughts on culture.
Touré was a co-host on the TV show The Cycle on MSNBC. He also appeared on The Dylan Ratigan Show. He hosted shows like Hiphop Shop and On the Record for Fuse. He helps choose who gets into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Touré also taught a class about the history of hip-hop at the Tisch School of the Arts in New York.
He has written several books. These include The Portable Promised Land (2003) and Soul City (2005). Other books are Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness? What It Means To Be Black Now (2011) and I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon (2013). Touré often writes for websites like The Daily Beast and The Grio.
Early Life and Education
Touré Neblett was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 20, 1971. His father, Roy E. Neblett, was an accountant. He also worked for the mayor of Boston, Kevin White. Touré's parents met when his father was studying law. His mother, Patricia, worked at the family accounting business. Touré's grandparents came to Harlem from Barbados and the British Virgin Islands.
Touré went to Milton Academy for high school. He then attended Emory University but left before finishing his degree. In 1996, he studied writing at Columbia University for one year. His sister, Meika, also went to Milton Academy and Emory. She finished her degree quickly and played tennis in college. She later went to medical school.
Writing Career
While at Emory University, Touré started a newspaper for Black students called The Fire This Time. He began his professional writing career in 1992. He worked as an intern at Rolling Stone magazine. One of his articles for Rolling Stone was about race and sports. This article, "Kurt is My Co-Pilot," was chosen for The Best American Sports Writing 2001.
Touré has written five books. In 2002, he published Portable Promised Land. This book is a collection of short stories. He also wrote a novel called Soul City in 2004. This story is about a perfect city for African Americans. In 2006, he released Never Drank the Kool-Aid, a collection of essays.
In 2012, Touré published Who's Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What it Means to be Black Now. This book explores what it means to be Black in modern America. He interviewed over 100 important African Americans for the book. Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness? was named one of the most important books of 2011. It was recognized by The New York Times and The Washington Post. The book also earned Touré a nomination for an NAACP Image Award.
In 2013, Touré wrote I Would Die 4 U: Why Prince Became an Icon. This book is about the famous musician Prince. It looks at Prince's music and impact, including his spiritual side. The book is based on talks Touré gave at Harvard University in 2012.
Television Work
In 2002, Touré started appearing on CNN's American Morning. He later became CNN's first reporter for pop culture news. In 2005, BET hired Touré to cover news and public affairs.
He also hosted shows like Community Surface on Tennis Channel and MTV's Spoke N' Heard. He was interviewed for Eminem's A&E Biography episode. In 2008, he hosted a reality show called I'll Try Anything Once. On this show, he tried different jobs and activities, like being a rodeo clown.
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From 2012 to 2015, Touré was a co-host on The Cycle on MSNBC. He hosted with Krystal Ball, Abby Huntsman, and Ari Melber. The show was popular with younger viewers because of its hosts. Touré often talked about race and society on the show. In 2015, MSNBC decided to end The Cycle and other shows.
Personal Life
On March 19, 2005, Touré married Rita Nakouzi. She is a writer and talks about pop culture. They have two children, a son named Hendrix and a daughter named Fairuz. Rev. Run from the group Run-DMC performed their wedding ceremony. Nelson George, a writer, was Touré's best man. Touré and his family live in Fort Greene, a neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York.
