Lessons in Diversity from the Street

The study of Francophone hip-hop through its street art, music, and dance includes a vast array of cultures, countries and nations where French remains an important language. This subject also allows for the exploration of diversity, race, gender, ethnicity, sub- and counter-cultures, identity, and intersectionality. Moreover, although this course was taught at the 300-level in Fall 2019, it is certainly adaptable to lower levels. The content is presented in three units proceeded by an introduction. Introductory material includes the US documentary Rubble Kings ( USA), the music video Apeshit shot by Beyoncé and Jay-Z in the Louvre, and two articles devoted to the emergence of hip-hop in France (which happens to be second only to the US in terms of its venerability). Unit 1 explores street art from several points of view including micro- versus macro-politics, spontaneity (and illegality) versus institutionalization, and art for art’s sake (alterity). We look specifically at street art found in the Maghreb, in France, Montreal, and Haiti. We also critique street art tourism that has been gaining popularity in many urban spaces. Unit 2 explores hip-hop dance and seeks to investigate such questions as influences, the function of the battle, and types of hip-hop dance and its offshoots. Unit 3 delves into rap music. This part of the course clearly allows for interesting linguistic explorations of slang, localisms, and verlan on the one hand, and of poetic devices on the other, for rappers often see themselves as subversive agents, as well as poets. We move from protest rap to mainstream rap in France, Quebec, Senegal, Belgium, Algeria, and Gabon. In all three units, both male and female artists are included raising issues such as misogyny and homophobia. This course is interdisciplinary inasmuch as our theoretical readings include academic articles written by sociologists, ethnologists, musicologists, and historians, as well as pieces written by journalists, critics, and the artists themselves. Given that hip-hop culture is virtually universal, a course such as this highlights Francophone transnationalism without ignoring the local particularities that support cultural sustainability. It thereby affirms the many values that we seek to promote in the French-language classroom.

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