Frank Stasio

Big Daddy Kane is one of the most influential voices from the golden era of hip-hop. In the 1980s, Kane entered the music scene with style, sex appeal and the skills to rhyme over rapid-fire beats – a combination that sealed his place in hip-hop history as one of the best emcees of all-time. The Brooklyn-born rapper now makes his home in North Carolina where he continues his creative work. He joins host Frank Stasio to talk about his influential career and his role as a rap music pioneer.

An 18th century home and several other historic buildings sit on a tract of land on Wake Forest Road in Raleigh known as Mordecai Historic Park. Neighbors of the property are atwitter about the city's plan to build an interpretive center at the site. At one time, the Mordecais owned one of the largest estates in Wake County and were among the area's most powerful families. They were also one of the few prominent Jewish families in central North Carolina during the 19th century. Host Frank Stasio talks about the family's remarkable history with author Emily Bingham, author of the book "Mordecai: An Early American Family" (Hill and Wang/2004).

The North Carolina Symphony follows the path of our country's cultural development, from ragtime to blues to jazz to gospel, with a program titled "Blues In the Night.” Joining the symphony will be guest artists Phil Wiggins on harmonica and Corey Harris on guitar.

The Chapel Hill-based band Birds & Arrows has a new album that reflects the joy and sorrow of the band's past year. The honeymoon sweetness of their earlier work has been replaced with a maturity and depth appropriate for musicians whose lives and work are gaining seriousness and acclaim.

“The Promised Land” is a public radio series hosted by environmental justice advocate Majora Carter. The newest season of the show, entitled “Voices From the Gulf,” focuses on those rebuilding in the Gulf Coast region after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. Covering scientists, teachers, activists and other visionaries, Carter focuses on leaders who are truly changing their community for the better. She joins host Frank Stasio to talk about reconstructing the Gulf Coast and why people there are still hopeful about the future.

Earlier this week, Pope John Paul II was beatified in Rome, with 1.5 million people in attendance. Beatification is the penultimate step toward achieving sainthood in the Catholic Church. The process of canonization is something author Justin Catanoso came to understand while writing his book, “My Cousin, the Saint” (Harper Collins/2008).

For the first time in more than 90 years of awarding the top honors in journalism, the Pulitzer Prize jury decided not to hand out an award for breaking news this year. Experts say the jury's decision reflects a disconnect between traditional and new media. It's also a harbinger of a local news crisis.

Raleigh Ensemble Players has been presenting provocative theater in the capital city since 1982. Earlier this year, the company moved into a renovated theater space on Fayetteville Street, defying a recession that has plagued many arts organizations. REP’s first full-length production in the new facility will be "Distracted," a play about the challenges of dealing with Attention Deficit Disorder.

Before playwright Suzan-Lori Parks penned the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Top Dog/Underdog,” she wrote “The America Play.” The abstract narrative centers around a character called The Foundling Father, a grave digger who impersonates Abraham Lincoln in a novelty performance that allows people to act out the role of the President’s assassin. “The America Play” is currently in production at Greensboro’s Triad Stage UpStage Cabaret.

The North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh presents "Mirror Image: Women Portraying Women," the second exhibition in its North Carolina gallery. The thematic group show features work depicting women done by women artists who live in the state, but have national and international reputations.