There are so many ways to be and to be black at the same time, but we're finally seeing that full range expressed much more widely than before.

My family life and early political life - being exposed to the news constantly, being enrolled in an Afrocentric education program, and doing the extracurriculars I did - played a huge role in me finding my path.

As I've submerged myself in news of the revolutions sweeping North Africa and the Middle East, I wanted desperately to feel part of what was going on. And then it hit me: This is what white people were doing to me after Obama was elected!

"Black culture" is ready for whatever. I sense some momentum and excitement around black artists (especially in comedy, which is where most of my own art resides), really pushing the bounds of what has generally been expected as black. I don't think it's a revolution so much as an exposure of what has always been there, and now that the production and distribution means are more accessible, people can more easily find each other.

You can call me namastunde or surfatunde. Either works.

As far as hip-hop is concerned, I'm no expert and rarely think consciously about how I "represent" hip-hop.

I am not a yogi yet, but I aspire to have more balance in my life.