Hip Hop in American Culture (AMS3810)

Hip-hop has become one of the most dominant cultural forces this world has ever seen. Its popularity is globally recognized and it has interacted with musics and cultures worldwide. Over the last three decades, it was born New York City, raised in the United States, and has moved out on its own to explore the world. It has transcended the realm of music and entered the worlds of visual art, cinema, advertising, fashion, politics, and beyond. Its growth has paralleled and interacted with the growth of the internet, and technology and hip-hop have fueled each other along the way, developing a mutually beneficial relationship. Further, it is this relationship with the internet that has enabled Hip-hop to enjoy such widespread popularity, resulting in its situation as a culture capable of uniting the youths of all countries and parts of the world. It has unified a generation to an extent rivaled only by Rock & Roll, and it accomplished this much quicker than Rock & Roll ever did.

The aim of this course is to share in a communal examination of the history and trajectory of this American culture. Work towards this aim will be accompanied by focused looks at how other musical genres and art traditions have impacted hip-hop; the impact hip-hop has made on popular culture and beyond; hip-hop's spread throughout the United States and beyond, specifically looking at the regionalization issues that have accompanied this spread; the racial, socioeconomic, social status, political, and other identity-related issues surrounding hip-hop and its community; and much more.