History of Hip-Hop

 I was really excited this morning to hear that there's an actual hip-hop sociology class at the prestigious Georgetown University focused on the one and only Jay-Z. This makes me wish I could pay another semester's worth of tuition just to take a class like that. When I was in college there was a course on hip-hop history as well as DJ history but since I happened to not receive the best registration time, it was an unfulfilled dream.
 However as much as I'd like to revisit the days of yore, I'm glad this class is being offered. Now of course some of you reading may have a disdain for hip-hop but let's face it, it's not going anywhere. And for all the criticism it endures, the same could be applied to other genres. Hip-hop is targeted mainly because it was a genre that broke the unwritten rules of music, but didn't rock and roll? Either way, how hip-hop has influenced our culture is very important.
 I will be honest and say, I'm not the biggest hip-hop head but I respect and appreciate it's finer points. There are so many things about it that give commentary to society and race that are fascinating. It also serves as a great way to have a good time. I mean who doesn't get happy to hear "Rapper's Delight?"
 Anyways, Professor Michael Eric Dyson used Jay-Z since he is considerably the greatest living rapper and a multi-media mogul who has transitioned into the mainstream due to his business savvy and his commitment to helping others in music and in life. I think Jay-Z is the best ambassador of new school hip-hop with old school ideas. I read Decoded over the summer and it is one of the most fascinating books you can read. Jay-Z talks about his rhymes as I would imagine Shakespeare mentioned his works.
 Word play, cultural references, and analogies frame his work and more importantly he says his rhymes are not all fact. Will this soothe the parents in middle America? I doubt it, but if you don't understand something, the best way to learn about it is to immerse yourself in it.
 The clip from "Today" shows kids at Georgetown doing just that, immersing themselves in issues they may not have experienced. While there are students who understand Jay-Z's raps from a personal standpoint, the class seems to open all of the students' eyes to the complexities of everyday life and how we're more alike than different. Now that's what I call higher learning.

Jay-Z Class