Splash Biography

Kanye West is a polarizing figure who has captured headlines for over a decade. Virtually anyone you speak to, regardless of how much they follow contemporary Hip Hop, has an opinion on Kanye due to his influential music and controversial reputation. Love him or hate him, you know Kanye. Or do you? Do any of us? Who is the complicated individual that has time and time again demonstrated an ability to take popular culture by storm and become a household word? In this class we will try to add some nuance to the man behind the image. We will look at Kanye's upbringing, his music, and the actions that have kept him perpetually relevant 15 years after the release of his first album.

This course will look at the developments and trends of Rap/Hip-Hop in the last ten years. We will look at the roots of rap in the 80's and 90's and where it is going today, with a focus on the growth and proliferation of "sing-rap."