Queer Hip-Hop

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Often viewed as a genre steeped in misogyny and homophobia, women and LGBTQ+ people have made generous contributions to hip-hop music and culture. This course will draw on texts that analyze misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia in hip-hop culture, music, and music videos. We will also look at how both mainstream and queer artists use hip-hop to affirm their gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and racial identity, and create spaces for their artistic expression. The course will examine the musical roots of hip hop in genres such as jazz and the blues and their relation to queerness. While our analyses will center on music and on the United States, we will also consider art, fashion, and dance within Black, and Latinx, interactions with hip-hop.