Rapper, business man and music mogul Jay-Z is a jack of all trades and now he has a college course devoted to him and his impact on hip-hop.
Writer and educator Dr. Michael Eric Dyson is teaching a 3-credit course this semester, at Georgetown University, on the sociology of hip-hop. With “Hov” at the core of the class, Dyson credits Jay-Z as “an incredible genius.”
WATCH DYSON EXPLAIN THE INSPIRATION BEHIND HIS HIP-HOP HOV CLASS AT GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
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Hip-hop has become more than rap music and videos, it has become a culture; a way of life. It’s become a platform for African -American growth and expansion and Jay-Z made the ‘blueprint’. His presence and success in the entertainment world and the barriers he has broken is making way for others such as Rick Ross, the YMCMB Crew and the future business man/woman to be more than just their lyrics.
Dyson says that Jay-Z has helped to lift some of the stigmas of rap music and has opened doors for the youth of tomorrow. “Jay-Z is one of the most remarkable artists of our time, of any genre and as a hip hop artist, he carries the weight of that art form with such splendor and grace and genius,” he said.
This course will offer study to a part of black culture that is often overlooked. Course material will include Hov’s own Decoded along with, Adam Bradley’s Book of Rhymes and Zack O’ Malley Greenburg’s Empire State of Mind.
Dyson mentioned that Jay-Z is only a part of a bigger picture; a missing picture that’s not being painted for youth.
He says, “Obviously Jay-Z is one of the greatest entertainers of the world today.” And that, “Not only is he a remarkable rhetorical genius, he’s also a man of deep sympathy and empathy for those who are lost and vulnerable, but especially under-educated youth of all cultures and stripes.”
And for this, the business savvy MC, now has his own ‘Hip-hop 101’ course.