The way Kendrick Lamar’s music reflects the power, plight, and politics of Black America should be studied. And pretty soon, Temple University students will do just that.
The Philadelphia institution announced last week its plan to launch a new course in the Fall 2025 semester titled “Kendrick Lamar and the Morale of M.A.A.D. City.” The class, taught by Timothy Welbeck of Temple’s Africology and African American Studies department, will explore the Compton rapper’s life, catalog, and cultural impact.
College campuses have long embraced hip-hop scholarship, with Tupac Shakur, OutKast, Lil’ Kim, and Jay-Z all inspiring coursework. Nas even has a fellowship named after him at Harvard. Still, we think higher ed academies are sleeping on plenty of artists who offer food for thought across academic disciplines.
If we were to play provost of our own university, classrooms would be packed with students doing the knowledge on contemporary and classic hip-hop acts. We dreamed up 10 classes we’d offer. Class is now in session!
Artist | Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Course | No Shame (on a N***a): The Unorthodox Genius of Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Curriculum | He rhymes off-kilter and sings off-key. His lyrics shift between hilarious absurdity and outright gibberish. His name is a self-roast. ODB is beloved for breaking damn near every one of hip-hop’s rules, while adhering to the most important: being unapologetically authentic. This course analyzes the late, great Wu-Tang Clan MC’s wild innovations in storytelling, persona, and performance, focusing on his ultra-raw solo debut, Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version.
Subject | English
Final Exam | When Ol’ Dirty Bastard said “shimmy shimmy ya, shimmy yam, shimmy yay,” you felt it. But what does it mean? Explain in a 12-page thesis, citing Dirt McGirt’s work, interviews, and readings from language experts — not Genius — to support your theory.—John Kennedy
Artist | GloRilla
Course | In Gloria’s Name: The Gospel of GloRilla
Curriculum | Pulling from the works of GloRilla herself, this course examines the transformative power of grace, prayer, and staying f**k n***a free. Here, students will congregate for daily sermons from Ehhthang Ehhthang and Glorious for a 14-week class dissecting the spiritual signs of when and where to embrace Christ. Or the crash out.
Subject | Ministry
Final Exam | A group project where you — along with your ratchet-ass friends — rescue a baddie-in-distress from a toxic romance, redeeming her through the spiritual guidance of Gloria “GloRilla” Woods.— Peter A. Berry
Artist | Tyler, the Creator
Course | Whom Art Dat Boy: A Collision Course on the Works of Tyler, the Creator and William, the Shakespeare
Curriculum | One made Hamlet. The other made “The Brown Stains of Darkeese Latifah Part 6-12 (Remix).” Still, their canons have more in common than casuals might expect. Tyler, the Creator and William Shakespeare are master wordsmiths who revel in duality, unrequited love, alter egos, and heartbreak. From Igor to Iago, this course compares the many literary elements that bind these artists despite the 400 years (and one eaten cockroach) between them.
Subject | Literary Arts
Final Exam | Perform a dramatic reading of a Tyler, the Creator song as if it were a Shakespearean tragedy. Must include dramatic gestures, stage directions, and one reference that would confuse both your therapist and your teacher’s assistant.—John Kennedy
Artist | Pusha-T
Course | If You Know You Know: Pusha-T and the Art of Private Investigation
Curriculum | Since revealing the existence of Drake’s firstborn child, Pusha-T has emphatically established himself as perhaps rap’s best private investigator. Using Push as a guide, this course explores Pusha’s songs and interviews to reveal the best methods of intelligence gathering and destabilizing the lives of anyone you happen to disagree with.
Subject | Criminal Justice
Final Exam | Using research you’ve gathered over the semester, start a petty feud with a random classmate and make a viral diss track discussing their deepest, darkest secrets. Extra credit if they subtweet you.—Peter A. Berry
Artist | Megan Thee Stallion
Course | Exploring W.A.P. as a Weapon Against Patriarchy
Curriculum | Since her breakout in the late 2010s, Megan Thee Stallion has led a new wave of rap feminism and sex-positive liberation by flaunting, owning, and reclaiming her bodily autonomy. This course examines how the original Hot Girl wields her sexual prowess as a superpower. It analyzes pleasure as a political act. It unpacks lyrics like “two fingers give me peace.” And it explains why every twerk is a form of resistance. Periodt.
Subject | Gender & Sexuality Studies
Final Exam | Roses Are Red: Write a three-verse rap song that personifies a sex toy of your choosing. (Batteries not included.)—John Kennedy
Artist | Jay Electronica
Course | Exhibit C: On Intentional, Restful Absence, Through the Lens of Jay Electronica
Curriculum | In a quasi-mainstream career that’s stretched nearly 20 years, Jay Electronica is arguably just as famous for his absence as his presence, having dropped only two projects in that time. Yet he’s revered, becoming an André 3000-esque cult figure while doing maybe 5% of the work. For this course, you will learn the virtue of mystique and, more directly, simply staying out of the way until it’s time to prophesize or break up a happy home. Actually attending the twice-a-semester class is optional. Vague spiritual poetry is not.
Subject | Philosophy
Final Exam | Create five different rap sequences to rhyme with “Jay Electronica” and mislead classmates, friends, and family about a “release date” for you to become a better person.—Peter A. Berry
Artist | Kid Cudi
Course | Hmmm: The Musical Theory of Kid Cudi’s Hums
Curriculum | Scott Mescudi has solidified his spot on emo hip-hop’s Mount Rushmore — not just for what he says, but for what he doesn’t. This course explores the emotional architecture of the Man on the Moon’s wordless melodies, studying how he channels joy, despair, loneliness, and curiosity through his greatest instrument: his hums. Equal parts vibes and vibrations, the course unpacks how Cudi’s chords offer passion, pain, and demon slayin’.
Subject | Music Theory
Final Exam | A solo performance of “By Design.” No lyrics. Just hums.—John Kennedy
Artist | Kevin Gates
Course | 2 Phones, 1 Million Tall Tales: Kevin Gates and the Art of Self-Mythology
Curriculum | In a land of outsized egos and crude self-aggrandizement, Kevin Gates has proven the ability to make even the tallest tales seem short; the weirdest stories seem mundane. In this course, students comb through archived Gates interviews to dissect his most, ahem, extraordinary anecdotes and discover how you too can contort reality to make yourself the eccentric Dos Equis mascot of any dinner party or VladTV interview.
Subject | Introduction to Folklore
Final Exam | Convince a family friend that you abstained from urinating for a whole year in an effort to cleanse your soul and save your descendants. —Peter A. Berry
Artist | Larry June
Course | Juice Bars: Examining How Larry June’s Organic Lifestyle Redefined “Keepin’ It Real” in Rap
Curriculum | Larry June’s gems don’t always bling. More often, he drops jewels encouraging listeners to live their best lives by embracing wellness, making responsible financial decisions, and watering plants (literally and metaphorically). This course delves into how the San Francisco rapper’s commitment to smoothies and self-discipline reframes what it means to be authentic in hip-hop. Topics include luxury minimalism, dairy-free flexing, and whether pill poppers should be focused on magnesium instead. Yee-hee!
Subject | Life Coaching
Final Exam | Using Larry June’s music as source material, create an annotated 10-point “organic principles” guide for life, focused on finances, nutrition, and mindfulness. Bonus points if it rhymes — or references oat milk.—John Kennedy
Artist | 2 Chainz
Course | (I’m) Different But T.R.U.: 2 Chainz’s Masterful Transformation
Curriculum | With his rebranding from Tity Boi to 2 Chainz, Mr. Chainz went from talented rap game sparkplug to one of the industry’s most electrifying and technically accomplished wordsmiths. Through careful lyrical analysis and searches through Chainz’s varied wardrobe and mannerism switchups, students will learn the importance of brand realignment and aesthetic messaging, and hopefully become more acceptable to the world at large.
Subject | Marketing
Final Exam | Become someone totally different so people like you more. Must share DMs with class for proof.—Peter A. Berry
