Kendrick Lamar’s storytelling abilities are so impressive that he’s now the focus of an English course at Georgia Regents University.
Although Lamar is a well-known and acclaimed artist in hip-hop, he gained considerable mainstream attention after the release of his landmark album good kid, m.A.A.d city . The record was so insightful and well-written that lecturer Adam Diehl decided to use the songs as the centerpiece of his English composition course.
According to BET , Diehl is calling his Kendrick Lamar class “Good Kid, Mad Cities.” If you fancy yourself a Lamar scholar, then sign up for the course at Georgia Regents University. It could result in the easiest college credit you’ve ever earned, hands down.
During a quick chat with the folks at HipHopDX , Diehl explained why he decided to center his course around Kendrick Lamar’s music. The lecturer said the rapper’s album demonstrates a remarkable “complexity of storytelling,” adding that Kendrick is essentially the “James Joyce of hip-hop.” That’s high praise, indeed.
Adam continued:
“The lasting historical influence of ‘good kid, m.A.A.d city’ has yet to be determined, but the album surely has brought new listeners to the genre because of the curiosity surrounding its instant acclaim. The class will hopefully produce much discussion about the issues that Joyce/Baldwin/Brooks/Singleton/Lamar raise, and hopefully the content of the class will inspire students to find an outlet to bring some sanity to our own mad city, Augusta.”
Of course, Kendrick Lamar isn’t the only accomplished hip-hop artist who has inspired a college course. According to MTV News , Jay Z is the focus of the Sociology of Hip-Hop—Urban Theodicy of Jay-Z class at Georgetown University . Here’s what prospective students can expect from the in-depth course:
“When you think about Jay-Z’s rise to power, you probably don’t think of it as becoming the subject of a serious course taught at a prestigious school like Georgetown University. Now, Jay’s hard work has earned him a position as a living legend in the academic world. If people are studying you before you’re dead, you’ve clearly made an impact. The class will examine a lot more than just his lyrics–a lot of the sociological issues pertaining to Jay-Z’s climb will be discussed also. We’d definitely like to see the syllabus for this one.”
In addition to Jay Z and Kendrick Lamar, Beyonce has her own college course at Rutgers University and fellow pop star Miley Cyrus has a class centered around her controversial shenanigans at Skidmore College. Whether these courses will help you find employment after you graduate is another subject altogether.
[Lead image via Ethan Miller / Getty Images]