Topics Pop Music (3 credits)
FAM2093-004 HipHop (Thursday, 6-8:50 p.m.)
Breadth of Knowledge Areas: FA Fine Arts
This course is designed to critically evaluate the artistic, social, political, and economic impact of Hip-Hop Culture. Hip Hop Culture, from its inception as a hyper-regional and even intimate form of creative expression, has grown to become an interconnection of art forms with global reach. As an interdisciplinary art and a billion-dollar industry, Hip Hop has experienced a series of conceptions and misconceptions informing its existence. Like many art forms before it, Hip Hop has been commodified and subsequently disconnected from its essence resulting in both broad appeal as well as inauthentic representation. In true Hip Hop fashion, however, this dichotomy has been “remixed” to produce arguably, the most accessible and equitable art form created in the last century, though at a cost. This course will explore the creation, maturation, and complicated trajectory of Hip Hop Culture through the study of the varied conditions; racial, social, technological, political, and economic, that continue to shape the culture. Lectures, readings, coursework, and research will be central to the class challenging students to think critically about the rich complexity of Hip Hop and the artist, industry leaders, cultural icons, “culture vultures” and innovators that have and continue to influence it.
