Prep

• Alex Gale, The Oral History of “Wild Style”, Complex (2013). Note: I advise watching the movie to the end before reading this.
• Audio: Sugar Hill Gang, ‘Rapper’s Delight’ (1979). In many ways, we can interpret Wild Style as an attempt to correct the historical record: ‘Rapper’s Delight’ was seen by hip-hop insiders as a cooptation from outside ‘the culture’; the filmmakers sought to show its audience what ‘authentic’ hip-hop was all about. It hardly seems accidental, for example, that Grandmaster Flash caps the climactic bandshell party jam by cutting up Chic’s ‘Good Times’, which was interpolated for the beat to ‘Rapper’s Delight’. 
• Video: Wild Style (Charlie Ahearn, 1982). We’ll watch this movie in class, but I encourage you to look at it in advance. You can view this movie for free using the hyperlink in the title.

In Class

1. Attendance
2. Review: Story Maps
3. Screening: Wild Style (Charlie Ahearn, 1982)
4. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Nelson George, ‘Hip-Hop’s Founding Fathers Speak the Truth’, in Forman and Neal (2012); also available in Forman and Neal (2004)
• Video: Wild Style (Charlie Ahearn, 1982), cont’d

Prep

• Jeff Chang, ‘Zulus on a Time Bomb: Hip-Hop Meets the Rockers Downtown’, in Forman and Neal (2012). I posted the PDF in the #general channel of our Slack workspace. 
• Audio: TBA
• Video: Wild Style (Charlie Ahearn, 1982). We’ll watch this movie in class, but I encourage you to look at it in advance. You can view this movie for free using the hyperlink in the title.

In Class

1. Attendance
2. Q&A: TBA
3. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Alex Gale, The Oral History of “Wild Style”, Complex (2013). Note: I advise watching the movie to the end before reading this.
• Audio: TBA
• Video: Wild Style (Charlie Ahearn, 1982), cont’d

Prep

• Jorge ‘Popmaster Fabel’ Pabon, ‘Physical Graffiti: The History of Hip-Hop Dance’, in Jeff Chang, ed., Total Chaos: The Art and Aesthetics of Hip-Hop (BasicBooks, 2006). Also reprinted in Forman and Neal (2012).
• Audio: Dennis Coffey and the Detroit Guitar Band, ‘Scorpio’ (1971)
• Video: Wild Style (Charlie Ahearn, 1982). We’ll watch this movie in class, but I encourage you to look at it in advance. You can view this movie for free using the hyperlink in the title.

In Class

1. Attendance/Introductions
2. Q&A: How are contemporary forms of hip-hop dance shaped by the medium of TikTok? 
3. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Jeff Chang, ‘Zulus on a Time Bomb: Hip-Hop Meets the Rockers Downtown’, in Forman and Neal (2012) 
• Audio: TBA
• Video: Wild Style (Charlie Ahearn, 1982), cont’d

Prep

We talked some more about the difference between break-oriented DJing vs. song-oriented DJing, but we didn’t really dig very deeply into Wednesday’s reading. So let’s review that material and talk about Chang’s book a few classes later.

• Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton, ‘Hip-Hop: Planet Rock’, in Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey (Grove Press, 2006)
• Audio: Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force, ‘Planet Rock’ (1982)
• Video: DJ Jazzy Jay | Crate Diggers | Fuse (10 October 2012). Jazzy Jay was one of Zulu Nation’s main DJs, was the co-founder of Def Jam Records, and is one of hip-hop’s great storytellers. keywords: sacred crates.

In Class

1. Attendance/Introductions
2. Q&A: Is hip-hop music inherently political?
3. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Jorge ‘Popmaster Fabel’ Pabon, ‘Physical Graffiti: The History of Hip-Hop Dance’, in Forman and Neal (2012)
• Audio: TBA

Prep

• Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton, ‘Hip-Hop: Planet Rock’, in Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey (Grove Press, 2006)
• Audio: Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force, ‘Planet Rock’ (1982)
• Video: DJ Jazzy Jay | Crate Diggers | Fuse (10 October 2012). Jazzy Jay was one of Zulu Nation’s main DJs, was the co-founder of Def Jam Records, and is one of hip-hop’s great storytellers. keywords: sacred crates.

In Class

1. Attendance/Introductions
2. Q&A: Is hip-hop music inherently political?
3. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Jeff Chang, ‘Zulus on a Time Bomb: Hip-Hop Meets the Rockers Downtown’, in Forman and Neal (2012)
• Audio: TBA

Prep

• Ground Rules for the Classroom
• Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton, ‘Hip-Hop Roots: Adventures on the Wheels of Steel’, in Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey (Grove Press, 2006)
• Audio: Rich Nice, Merry Go Round Mix (11 August 2020)

In Class

1. Attendance
2. Small Group Huddles
3. Q&A: Is there a difference between rap and hip-hop music?
4. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton, ‘Hip-Hop: Planet Rock’, in Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey (Grove Press, 2006)
• Audio: Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force, ‘Planet Rock’ (1982)

Prep

• Benedict Carey, ‘In Music, Others’ Tastes May Help Shape Your Own’, New York Times (14 February 2006
• Audio: ‘How to Listen to Music in 4 Easy Steps’, Switched on Pop 50 (2 November 2016)

In Class

1. Attendance/Introductions
2. Q&A: Sloan and Harding divide and sequence their listening process into four steps. Are there steps that you would add or subtract? Would you change the order of them?
3. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Bill Brewster and Frank Broughton, ‘Hip-Hop Roots: Adventures on the Wheels of Steel’, in Last Night a DJ Saved My Life: The History of the Disc Jockey (Grove Press, 2006)
• Audio: Rich Nice, Merry Go Round Mix (11 August 2020)

Prep

• Interviews: Andrew Nosnitsky’, lebronjames.com (August 2018) 
• Audio: ‘Young Thug Gets His Due, But Is It Too Late?’, Popcast (6 September 2019). Jon Caramanica covers all things Thugger with our old friend Andrew Nosnitsky.

Exam Period (13:00-15:00)

I’m still waiting for confirmation on this, but I don’t see why we should be required to meet during the exam period if there’s no exam to take. On the other hand, if anyone is interested in doing an in-class presentation on their Story Map for extra credit, please let me know: we could make some time for that during this period (and some of you will need the help, given your attendance records/lack of smartphone discipline). This would also be your last chance to discuss missing work with me in person, or to get my help troubleshooting your final projects–there are a number of them that seem to be inaccessible. 

1. Attendance
2. Q&A
3. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Happy Hols

Prep

• Amanda Petrusich, ‘Against Chill: Apathetic Music to Make Spreadsheets to’, New Yorker (10 April 2019). keywords: active listening; ambient music; chill; Chillhop; mindful listening; mumble rap; purposeful listening (‘The idea of purposeful listening—which is to say, merely listening—is becoming increasingly discordant with the way that music is sold to us’); SoundCloud rap; vibe. 
• Audio: ‘Why Lo-Fi Is the Perfect Background Music’ Switched on Pop (19 May 2020)

• Video: ‘How J Dilla Humanized His MPC3000’, Vox Earworm (6 December 2017)

In Class

1. Attendance
2. Q&A
3. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Interviews: Andrew Nosnitsky’, lebronjames.com (August 2018) 
• Audio: ‘Young Thug Gets His Due, But Is It Too Late?’, Popcast (6 September 2019). Jon Caramanica covers all things Thugger with our old friend Andrew Nosnitsky.

Prep

• Andrew Nosnitsky, ‘Gray Matters’, Pitchfork (4 March 2013). On the legacy of Houston’s DJ Screw– possibly the most influential hip-hop DJ of this century– and how his impact goes way beyond simply slowing things down.
• Audio: ‘Big Floyd and the Rise of Houston Chopped N Screwed Music’, Switched on Pop (9 June 2020)
• Audio: DJ Screw, June 27 (1996; Side B Freestyle)

In Class

1. Attendance
2. Q&A
3. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Amanda Petrusich, ‘Against Chill: Apathetic Music to Make Spreadsheets to’, New Yorker (10 April 2019). keywords: active listening; ambient music; chill; Chillhop; mindful listening; mumble rap; purposeful listening (‘The idea of purposeful listening—which is to say, merely listening—is becoming increasingly discordant with the way that music is sold to us’); SoundCloud rap; vibe. 
• Audio: ‘Why Lo-Fi Is the Perfect Background Music’ Switched on Pop (19 May 2020)

• Video: ‘How J Dilla Humanized His MPC3000’, Vox Earworm (6 December 2017)