Hip Hop Degree

Article: College Offers Degree in Hip Hop

McNally Smith College of Music has pioneered a program for students to get a degree in hip hop. This covers everything from the business aspect to technology, and from composing to performing. Not only is this the nation's first accredited hip hop diploma, this may legitimize the genre for some people as more than just degrading, sexist, violent music. I know many people who think of the genre of hip hop music as less than other genres because they believe that all songs that come from that style are violent, angry lyrics full of sexism, drugs and violence. For students in this newly introduced hip hop program, the music is not that at all. The music is recognized as an expression of people and society. Hip hop music can be an open expression of the experiences of the artist just as any other form of music or writing can be. When people wonder about the anger behind the music, this program offers explanations. The three semester long track questions aspects of the music that go beyond lyrics. I know that when I talked about this with people the idea that students take classes in the history of the music and its cultural origins legitimizes the degree somewhat. Because, as the CNN video prompts, what would you think if someone told you they were going to graduate with a degree in hip hop. I know that people like my grandparents, aunt and uncle would think that is laughable. I believe that the reason for this has to do with the wide spread and false notion that it is violent, angry black music. When you have a conversation with most people over a certain age they think negatively of hip hop. So naturally, to talk a much more obviously intellectual approach to the subject rather than emotional approach would seem to make the degree seem more valid. To bring in a historical education about culture and musical foundations gives people the comfort that this hip hop program will not produce people who are going to just write lyrics that are degrading to women and violent. As one of the educators mentions the music of the hip hop genre can be angry, but when you listen to music across all genres it is always emotional. And if anger is the emotion that is expressed by the artist then why shouldn't it come through in their lyrics? I think that this is an excellent program. Why shouldn't students in music schools interested in hip hop be able to pursue that path when those interested in jazz or classical music are given easy access to their chosen genres? It also allows students who, when it comes time to apply to college programs don't because they don't find something that interests them. This program could be very beneficial to the way hip hop is perceived because the graduates of this program will have a college education rather than be perceived as drop outs, as people may think that hip hop artists are due to the mainstream perception of the genre. However, as Dr. James Peterson at Bucknell University states the problem with hip hop and this degree is not that it is not a legitimate style of music or that it is an invalid degree, but that it is perceived a certain way that is not representative of all the different aspects of the style. Hip hop has become such a mainstream style of music and it interests such a wide variety of people, whether they directly want to pursue a career in the genre or just find the music fascinating. This has to do, no doubt, with the fact that it is such a large part of our culture.