"Name one genius that ain't crazy!"
Universities are clearly finding it more difficult to ignore the ubiquity of hip-hop culture. As a result, professors have caught onto hip-hop's mass appeal, finding ways to analyse the culture through an academic lens. One such professor, Washington University's Jeffrey McCune has created a class in which Kanye West is main focus. In fact, Kanye's self-deprecating line has officially become the subtitle of his forthcoming college lecture: "Name One Genius That Ain't Crazy: Kanye West and the Politics of Self-Diagnosis."
In a statement to CBS ST. Louis, Mcclune breaks down the intention behind the lecture:
“I want to give people permission to be enraged. Give people permission to be upset, to be angry, to be frustrated. Give people permission to have moments where they break. Give people permission to have moments where they experience depression. I want to give them permission to have those moments without being characterized as being some type of deviant figure in the community. I don’t want to take away that experience and call it crazy. It’s reasonable. And it must be addressed with love, compassion, care, generosity.”
The lecture, which will examine the cultural response to West's breakdown, is set to take place tomorrow, April 12th, at 6 pm. If you're based in St. Louis and want to hear some knowledge dropped, swing by Washington University and hit up the Emerson Auditorium.
