American Cultural Studies - Hip Hop & Black Freedom

In this course, through music, films, readings, and discussion, we will explore the Afro-diasporic roots of hip hop, its use as a resistance culture, qualities of its poetics and style, and its tensions and contradictions. We begin with an examination the major historical conditions of the South Bronx, New York in the early 1970s in which hip hop and its subsequent multi-dimensional culture arose. We will engage with some of the work of its early pioneers to critically examine how hip hop has served as a form of resistance, speaking back to power and examining social realities. Drawing on the work of practitioners and scholars, we will also consider issues of race, gender, sexuality, class, authenticity, appropriation, censorship, violence, respectability politics, and pedagogy as they relate to hip hop. Like a cypher, this course is built on participation. Students will be expected to interrogate the readings and course content, to raise questions about the material, and to come prepared to share their perspectives and contribute to our collective course knowledge. Together we will think critically about hip-hop, its place in society, and its relevance to the Black freedom struggle.