Kyle T. Mays

Kyle T. Mays is Professor of African American Studies, American Indian Studies, and History at UCLA. His transdisciplinary scholarship examines Afro-Indigenous histories, urban experiences, and cultural expressions like hip hop through decolonial frameworks.

Research examines:

• Historical intersections of Black and Indigenous experiences
• Hip hop as Indigenous cultural expression
• Detroit's racial and spatial politics
• Decolonial feminist methodologies
• Urban Indigenous communities

Mays's publications include the award-winning 'Hip Hop Beats, Indigenous Rhymes,' which analyzes modernity and cultural production in Indigenous hip hop. His forthcoming book 'An Afro-Indigenous History of the United States' reframes national history through intertwined struggles against slavery and settler colonialism.

Recognition:

• NAISA Best First Book Finalist (2019)

He teaches courses on Afro-Indigenous histories, urban studies, and popular culture while advancing critical frameworks for understanding race, place, and resistance in America.