Rhythm, Rhyme, and Resistance: Hip Hop Culture in America

Catalog description

This course explores the ecosystem of cultural expression that informs the identity of Hip Hop culture in America, and its larger impact in shaping America’s political, economic, and cultural identity during the last three decades of the 20th century and the first decade of the 21st century. Students will investigate how Hip Hop used the archetypes of storytelling, historical documentation, and social protest that underscore Black Diasporic linguistic traditions, musical practice (vocal and instrumental), dance, and visual culture. Rather than a survey of the history of rap music, this course is asks for students to consider how the four pillars of Hip Hop challenged conventional definitions of art, established new praxis in the production of sound and visual culture, and served as one of the central markers of generational political consciousness and identity. This course is inquiry-based and transdisciplinary in nature. It will implement theoretical perspectives and modes of analysis that are associated with the fields of musicology, comparative studies, sound studies, and sexuality studies. PA-3B, SI-02, SI-04. CAS-B. Cross-listed with AMS 286 .