Shows / KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting. Hosts Davey D and Anita Johnson give voice to issues ignored by the mainstream while planting seeds for social change.
Episodes
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioCrime, Cops and Manufactured Fear: The Battle Over Oakland’s Future
From Vallejo to Newark: Hard Knock Radio Explores How Community Leaders Are Building a Culture of Peace On this edition of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioJamaal Bowman Exposes the Battle to Silence Progressives
Former Congressman Jamaal Bowman delivered that declaration during a wide-ranging conversation with Hard Knock Radio host Davey D about AIPAC’s influence, the…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioDr Hodari Davis on Black August and Preserving Black History
On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with educator and historian Dr. Hodari Davis for a powerful conversation about Black history, political education…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
Black August, Political Prisoners and the Legacy of Johanna Fernndez
On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D spoke with longtime organizer and Black Power Media contributor Kalonji Changa about the history and continuing purpose of…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
In Conversation with Living Legend Melba Moore and Poor News Magazine explore America’s War on the Poor
On this episode of Hard Knock, Legendary Tony Award-winning singer, actress, and trailblazer Melba Moore joins us to discuss her remarkable career, her lasting…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
Hard Knock Radio – July 30, 2026
Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting, hosted by…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioThembisa Mshaka Reclaims the History of Hip Hop, Beauty and Black Women’s Innovation
On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with longtime music executive, journalist and creative visionary Thembisa Mshaka for a wide-ranging conversation…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
Summer Fund Drive Special Programming: Culture Is a Main Ingredient: Rodstarz Calls Artists to Resist Fascism
On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with Rodstarz of the revolutionary Hip Hop group Rebel Diaz for a timely conversation about authoritarianism…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioSummer Fund Drive Special Programming: Indigenous Sovereignty, Sacred Lands and the Fight Against Extraction at Defending Chaco Canyon
On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D spoke with Brian Vallo, chairman of the Chaco Heritage Tribal Association, about the escalating fight to protect Chaco Canyon…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
Summer Fund Drive Special Programming: In Conversation with Steve Phillips about his latest book, Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?
On a recent episode of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with political strategist, attorney, and author Steve Phillips to discuss his provocative new…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioSummer Fund Drive Special Programming: Mosaab Baba Breaks Down the Forces Behind the Crisis in Sudan’s Forgotten War
Sudan is experiencing one of the world’s most devastating humanitarian crises, yet its suffering remains largely absent from American headlines. On Hard Knock…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioSummer Fund Drive Special Programming: Muhannad Ayyash Reimagines Liberation in Palestine-Israel
On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D spoke with Palestinian scholar and sociologist Muhannad Ayyash about his book, Lordship and Liberation in Palestine-Israel…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
Summer Fund Drive Special Programming: Kali Akuno Warns of Political Repression and Calls for Community Power
On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with Kali Akuno of Cooperation Jackson for a wide wide-ranging conversation about political repression, Black…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioQuestions Surrounding Nolan Wells’ Death Demand Answers
(HKR-07-20-26) A Mississippi family is grieving, troubling questions remain unanswered, and activist Marquell Bridges wants the public to keep paying…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioChild of Exile: Dani Cornejo Turns Memory, Resistance and Healing Into Music
On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with artist, musician and scholar Dani Cornejo to discuss his new album, Child of Exile, a deeply personal project…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioPart Two: A Legacy of Power, Politics, and Contradiction: Hard Knock Radio Examines Lindsey Graham’s Impact on South Carolina and Beyond / Comedian Karinda Dobbins
On this episode of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D welcomed South Carolina journalist and political commentator Preach Jacobs for an in-depth conversation…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
A Legacy of Power, Politics, and Contradiction: Hard Knock Radio Examines Lindsey Graham’s Impact on South Carolina and Beyon
On this episode of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D welcomed South Carolina journalist and political commentator Preach Jacobs for an in-depth conversation…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioBrave New Voices Part Two and California Teachers Push CalSTRS to ‘Retire Genocide’: Educators Demand Divestment and Ethical Accountability
On this edition of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D welcomed Christina Harb, an educator and organizer with the CalSTRS Divest campaign, and veteran teacher and…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioBrave New Voice and Youth Speaks
Youth Speaks at 30: Brave New Voices Carries the Legacy of Poetry, Hip Hop and Social Change As Youth Speaks celebrates its 30th anniversary, Hard Knock Radio…
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Saltwater Soundwalk and Poor News Magazine
Today on Hard Knock Radio we present Saltwater Soundwalk, an Indigenous audio tour of Seattle featuring a watery audio experience, with streams of stories that…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioBeyond the Scoreboard: Dave Zirin Explains Why the World Cup Is About Power, Politics and the People’s Game
Sports have always reflected society, but during this Hard Knock Radio conversation, host Davey D and acclaimed sports journalist Dave Zirin argued that…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioGo-Go at 50: Hard Knock Radio Explores the Soundtrack of Washington, D.C. PT. 2
Hard Knock Radio host Davey D marked the 50th anniversary of Go-Go music with an in-depth conversation that celebrated one of America’s most influential, yet…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
Go-Go at 50: Hard Knock Radio Explores the Soundtrack of Washington, D.C.
Hard Knock Radio host Davey D marked the 50th anniversary of Go-Go music with an in-depth conversation that celebrated one of America’s most influential, yet…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
Ceasefire in Vallejo
From Vallejo to Newark: Hard Knock Radio Explores How Community Leaders Are Building a Culture of Peace On this edition of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad on Hard Knock Radio: Baldwin, Lorde, and the Discipline of Liberation (Encore)
On a recent broadcast of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D welcomed Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad, scholar, Buddhist practitioner, and founder of the Initiative for Black…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioBeyond the Flames: James Farr on Altadena’s Future and Tupac’s Last House of Blues Show
If you’ve been wondering what happened after the TV cameras stopped rolling following the devastating Altadena fires, this Hard Knock Radio conversation is one…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
Detention, Dissent, and the Fight for Human Dignity: Hard Knock Radio Examines the Growing Resistance to ICE Detention
Community Leaders Demand Accountability After Fairfield Police Assault of Teen Maurice Williams (HKR-06-01-26) On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D spoke with…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioDr. James Taylor talks about the state of American democracy as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.
Drawing on a wide-ranging conversation sparked by recent Supreme Court rulings, Hard Knock Radio host Davey D sat down with political analyst and Africana…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
Haiti and the Supreme Court
On this edition of *Hard Knock Radio*, host Davey D welcomed Pierre Labossiere of the Haiti Action Committee for a sobering conversation about the U.S. Supreme…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioIndependent Hip Hop, Streaming, and Building Community with Ras Ceylon and Sunspot Jonz
The conversation on Hard Knock Radio shifted from politics to the economics of music as host Davey D challenged the growing gap between record industry profits…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioIn Conversation with Hip Hop Artist and Activist Ras Ceylon
Hard Knock Radio host Davey D welcomed longtime Bay Area artist, educator, and organizer Ras Ceylon to discuss his ninth album, Scrolls of Lion Rock, and the…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioRolling Coup? We Examines the Crackdown on Protest, Media, and Dissent
On a recent edition of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with Bay Area organizer Rachel Jackson and veteran anti-fascist organizer Daryle Lamont Jenkins…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioGatekeeper or Visionary? Hard Knock Radio Examines the Legacy of Clive Davis
One of the most thought-provoking conversations I’ve heard this week on Hard Knock Radio wasn’t simply about the passing of music executive Clive Davis—it was…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioEthnic Studies Under Fire: Educators Sound the Alarm
Ethnic Studies Under Fire: Educators Sound the Alarm on Hard Knock Radio I recently tuned into a powerful Hard Knock Radio roundtable hosted by Davey D that…
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Civil Rights and Structural Attacks: Conversations with Walter Riley (Encore)
On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with community activist and journalist Jesse Strauss and longtime civil rights attorney Walter Riley to discuss…
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Media Narratives, Community Solidarity, and the Future of Black Journalism
On this edition of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D continues an important conversation about media, race, and the power of storytelling. In Part Two of our…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioBlack-Asian Solidarity in the Age of Algorithms: Professor Russell Jeung and Rocky Rivera Break It Down on Hard Knock Radio
What happens when media narratives, social media algorithms, and historical trauma collide? That was the focus of a powerful Hard Knock Radio conversation…
- KPFA - Hard Knock Radio
AI, Juneteenth and the Fight for What’s Ours
If you think the battle over artificial intelligence only affects tech companies and Silicon Valley insiders, think again. On a recent episode of Hard Knock…
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Google’s AI Is Changing How We Think”And That’s a Bigger Deal Than You Realize
We use Google so much that it’s become a verb. Need information? Google it. Need directions? Google it. Need to settle an argument? Google it. But what happens…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioSan Francisco Black Film Festival Celebrates Black Joy, History, and Resilience and Poor News Magazine
As Juneteenth approaches, the San Francisco Black Film Festival (SFBFF) returns with a powerful lineup of films, community events, and cultural programming…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioBlack-Asian Solidarity in the Wake of the Rick Chow Verdict
In the first of a new series of conversations on Black-Asian solidarity, Hard Knock Radio host Davey D sat down with Los Angeles-based artist and activist…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioAjamu Baraka and Black Alliance for Peace Calls for World Cup Boycott Over U.S. Policies and Human Rights Concerns
On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D spoke with Ajamu Baraka of the Black Alliance for Peace about the organization’s call to boycott the upcoming FIFA World Cup…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioDominique DiPrima Breaks Down LA’s High-Stakes Mayoral Race and California’s Political Future
Veteran journalist and KBLA host Dominique DiPrima joined Hard Knock Radio host Davey D for a wide-ranging conversation about the Los Angeles mayoral race…
KPFA - Hard Knock RadioIn Conversation with Steve Phillips about his new book, Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?
On a recent episode of Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with political strategist, attorney, and author Steve Phillips to discuss his provocative new…