Cheryl Keyes

Cheryl Keyes is a professor of ethnomusicology and the chair of the African American Studies department. Keyes specializes in popular culture — including rap, hip-hop and urban music — and African-American music. She has conducted extensive research on rap music/hip-hop cultures in New York City, Detroit, Los Angeles, Mali, West Africa and London. Keyes has also studied and written about gender roles in popular music culture and jazz.

Keyes is a songwriter-composer, pianist, flutist and vocalist with many performance credits.