September 22nd 2023.
Are you curious about hip-hop? Well, Ohio State University is providing an opportunity for students to learn about this genre of music by offering a hip-hop course. This semester, two assistant professors from the university's School of Music have joined to head the hip-hop studies program in conjunction with the Department of African American and African Studies.
Jason Rawls and Stevie “Dr. View” Johnson are spearheading the initiative. Rawls, a music producer who has worked with hip-hop artists such as Mos Def, Talib Kweli, the Beastie Boys, and Aloe Blacc, says it's a big deal for him to be employed by the university. He expressed his enthusiasm to be part of the school saying, "Wow. I grew up going to Ohio State games, so to actually be employed here now, wow."
Rawls intends to teach a class called “Art and Politics in Hip-Hop”. He has a doctorate in education from Ohio University and was a teacher for 15 years in the Columbus City School system. His class will focus on the concept of “digging in the crates”. For those who may not know what this means, it is the process of finding vinyl records stored in milk crates, which producers use in their production.
Meanwhile, Johnson completed his doctorate in 2019. His dissertation explored anti-Blackness at historically white institutions and was the basis of a hip-hop album that won the Bobby Wright Dissertation of the Year Award for the Association for the Study of Higher Education. It was also the first time a hip-hop artist was recognized through an award. Johnson was recently the Nasir “Nas” Jones Hip-Hop Fellow at Harvard University. He will teach classes focused on the technical side of hip-hop, such as beat-making, DJing, and product design.
Overall, Ohio State University's initiative to offer hip-hop as a course demonstrates the growing popularity of this music genre and its importance in the contemporary world. It is a great opportunity for people who are interested in learning more about hip-hop as both Rawls and Johnson bring their unique skillsets and experience to the university. With the help of these two professors, students will gain invaluable knowledge about the history, culture, and politics of hip-hop.
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