Education has changed,… a lot! Georgetown University is now offering a class, ‘Sociology of Hip-Hop: Jay-Z’, based solely on Jay-Z and taught by Michael Eric Dyson. This is what the educator had to say about his subject:
‘Well obviously Jay-Z is one of the greatest entertainers of the world today, 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.’
Really? Jay-Z is a super successful entrepreneur, he has tons of money, and I am not going to comment much on the guy because I don’t know a lot about him, but he is a someone who bought a $20 million island to his wife for her 29th birthday, and that’s empathy!
In the course, Jay-Z’s book ‘Decoded’, Adam Bradley’s ‘Book of Rhymes’, Zack O'Malley Greenburg’s ‘Empire State of Mind’, and other articles and films about hip-hop will be covered to demonstrate the importance of hip-hop.
Dyson added: ‘Well you know if you have an average size class of 30-40, and then you got 140 students signed up that tells you right there there’s an extraordinary interest, I think that’s why it’s important for young people to see that the rhetorical invention of African American culture needs to be taken seriously with one of its greatest artist.’
Oh I’m sure there will be plenty of students interested by the subject, I just wonder whether they will open classes about other artists,… I can’t wait when it will be Tyler the Creator’s turn, oh but wait, he is a complete different species.