Prep

• 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)
• Video: Grandmaster Flash, ‘A Letter to Kool Herc from Grandmaster Flash’ (14 August 2017)

In Class

1. Attendance
2. Q&A: What’s the difference between rap and hip-hop music?
3. 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)
• 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: crate digging; sacred crates.

Prep

• 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. Group Powwows
3. Q&A: TBA
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)
• 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: crate digging; sacred crates.

Prep

• Benedict Carey, ‘In Music, Others’ Tastes May Help Shape Your Own’, New York Times (14 February 2006) 
• Shamus Khan, ‘The New Elitists’, New York Times (7 July 2012)
• Audio: ‘How to Listen to Music in 4 Easy Steps’, Switched on Pop 50

In Class

1. Attendance
2. Q&A: How subjective can taste be for social animals like ourselves?
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

• Ground Rules for the Classroom

In Class

1. Attendance
2. Introductions
3. Review of the Syllabus
4. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Benedict Carey, ‘In Music, Others’ Tastes May Help Shape Your Own’, New York Times (14 February 2006) 
• Shamus Khan, ‘The New Elitists’, New York Times (7 July 2012)
• Audio: ‘How to Listen to Music in 4 Easy Steps’, Switched on Pop 50

• Interviews: Andrew Nosnitsky’, lebronjames.co (August 2018)
• Audio: ‘Young Thug Gets His Due, But Is It Too Late?’, Popcast (6 September 2019)

Attendance is mandatory. Please let me know ASAP if you would like to do a presentation for extra credit. 

In Class

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

• Joan Morgan, ‘Hip-Hop Feminist’, in Forman and Neal (2012)

Please make sure to read and re-read this article, since Ms. Morgan will be with us to talk about this and more!

In Class

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

For Next Time

• Interviews: Andrew Nosnitsky’, lebronjames.co (August 2018)
• Audio: ‘Young Thug Gets His Due, But Is It Too Late?’, Popcast (6 September 2019)

• Amanda Petrusich, ‘Against Chill: Apathetic Music to Make Spreadsheets to’, New Yorker (10 April 2019)
• 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. Small Group Huddles
3. Q&A: What do we lose when we ‘use’ music, as opposed to listening to it? 
4. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time: Slight Return (Guest Speaker)

• Joan Morgan, ‘Hip-Hop Feminist’, in Forman and Neal (2012)

• 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)

In Class

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

For Next Time

• TBA
• Audio: TBD
• Video: TBD

• Matt Miller, ‘Rap’s Dirty South: From Subculture to Pop Culture’, (password-protected PDF) in Forman and Neal (2012)
• Video: ‘How the triplet flow took over rap’, Vox (15 September 2017)

In Class

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

For Next Time

• 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)

• Gilbert B. Rodman, ‘Race … and Other Four-Letter Words: Eminem and the Cultural Politics of Authenticity’ (password-protected PDF), in Forman and Neal (2012)
• Video: Adam Neely, ‘Scotch Snaps in Hip-Hop’ (11 March 2019)

In Class

1. Attendance
2. Review: Story Maps Final Project
   • Examples
3. Q&A: Is cultural appropriation always a bad thing?
4. Reading Notes for Next Time

For Next Time

• Matt Miller, ‘Rap’s Dirty South: From Subculture to Pop Culture’, (password-protected PDF) in Forman and Neal (2012)
• Video: ‘How the triplet flow took over rap’, Vox (15 September 2017)