Religion and Hip Hop

4.0 credits

Drake, Sexxy Redd, Kodak Black and several other contemporary rap artists operate within long traditions of hip hop that make religious claims. This course provides an overview of histories and contexts of hip hop genres (trap, conscious, dance/party, mumble, drill...) in correlation with contexts of Black religious groups (Black Israelites, Moorish Science Temple of America, Five Percenters, Christianity, Nation of Islam, Yoruba, Atheism...). This course will be interactive, consisting of listening parties, (guests) lectures, DJ presentations, discussions, and a field trip to a Black religious and/or hip hop experience. By the end of the class, students will have a playlist that professes a religious claim.