Religion and hip-hop course engages community

By Connor Hayes     2/24/11 6:00pm

Anthony Pinn, Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religious Studies, has taught a course on religion and hip-hop since the Spring of 2007. The class has always been among the most popular in its department, with around 150 students enrolled each year. This spring's course, however, filled to its capacity of 240 students during the first day of registration. The reason behind the sudden increase in student interest is no secret: Pinn is now co-teaching the course with a very popular guest. A tangible cross-campus buzz began to spread when Pinn announced late last spring that Port Arthur, Texas rapper Bernard Freeman, known more commonly as rapper Bun B, would be joining him in Duncan Hall each Tuesday and Thursday morning.Freeman, known simply as "Prof" to Pinn and his students, explained that his vast career experience as a rapper and his intimate connection with the city of Houston make up for his lack of a background in academia.

"I had no college experience before this. I am here purely on my merits in the hip-hop community and the Houston community. My experience comes from real life application, not collegiate expertise," Freeman said.

The course, co-sponsored by the Religious Studies department and the Houston Enriches Rice Education (HERE) Project, emphasizes a new style of education that enriches students in the classroom while also emphasizing the value of so-called "real world" learning. Freeman realizes that his role in the course is representative of the latter.

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"I can take my expertise from the world in which I am king and come into this world of academia where there has been a lot of misconception and stereotyping of my culture. This gives me a chance to pull the curtain back on the wizard and say this is what this is really like," Freeman explained.

Pinn relates the course's use of the Houston community to President David Leebron's Vision for the Second Century, a doctrine that encourages a holistic educational experience. Two of the class sessions, including this past Tuesday's, were scheduled at off-campus locations throughout Houston to enhance the learning experience.

"This course represents in a significant way the Vision for the Second Century," Pinn said. "It transforms education and extends us beyond the hedges, with two sessions being held off campus with transportation paid for by the provost. The course also transforms Rice in that it is deeply dependent on the expertise that Prof brings to the table. The process is extremely different."

Last Tuesday's meeting was no exception, as the class traveled by bus to St. John's Downtown Church for a panel discussion on hip-hop's place in religion. Freeman, after being introduced by Pinn, was joined on stage by Pastor Rudy Rasmus of St. John's, Marlon Hall of Houston's Awakenings Movement, local gospel rap icon DJ Revelation and Rice graduate turned Christian rapper Vaughaligan Walwyn (Brown '04), known in the rap community simply as "Von Won."

The event was open to the public and was advertised during services at St. John's. One member of the congregation, Alan Fields, was joined in attendance by his three young sons.

"An event like this helps us connect with and reach the youth because they relate to rap music. Rap and religion usually aren't thought of together, but for someone like Bun B to put himself forward, this can change the image of rap in Houston. Kids look up to him and respect him," Fields said.

The panel was tasked with discussing the question of whether or not hip-hop should be included in the church, with the panel tending to agree with Fields' sentiments. Panelist Marlon Hall, when asked what hip hop can learn from the church, offered a thought provoking response.

"Instead of asking the question of what hip-hop can learn from the church, the church must ask itself what it can learn from hip-hop. Hip-hop has dramatically, barbarically made its way into the church whether we like it or not."

Students in the class have been surprised by the recognizable relationship between the two subjects, many of whom attribute their ease in understanding to the expertise of the lecturers.

"Bun B knows more than you would think. He and Dr. Pinn are closer in their knowledge than I had expected. It's not just Bun B talking about hip hop and Dr. Pinn talking about religion, Bun B knows a lot about religion and Dr. Pinn is a hip hop expert," Lovett College freshman Justin Gross explained.

McMurtry College junior Brianna Hypolite agreed, adding that the course's focus on local issues and incorporation of guest speakers has been extremely valuable.

"I grew up in Houston and it's cool to hear rappers come speak that I listen to. We get to hear about their backgrounds and how their life experiences have affected what they say in their songs. The course has done a great job incorporating hip hop into religion and relating both topics back to each other," Hypolite said.

Students spoke highly of Freeman as a lecturer, referring to him as articulate and knowledgeable. Although Freeman himself was confident due to his life experience as a hip-hop artist, transitioning from performer to lecturer proved to be a process in itself.

"My initial thought was that maybe I wouldn't be able to hold court, but I wasn't giving myself enough credit," he explained.

In addition to the challenge of having to articulate on pressing and potentially controversial issues, Freeman has also had to adapt to the difference between performing and lecturing.

"It hasn't been the easiest thing to do but my career has allowed me to see that easy things aren't necessarily the best things. The dynamics as to where I stand and where the audience stands have changed. Usually I'm on stage looking down on everyone, but now I'm at the podium with students looking down at me," Freeman said.

Pinn also spoke highly of Freeman's ability to hold court in the classroom, going so far as to joke that he has learned so much from the experience that he too should be paying tuition.

"We have shared responsibility for the course completely," Pinn said. "We worked on the syllabus together from day one. The syllabus and what we do in the classroom reflects a full partnership between Prof and myself."

While students may be starstruck by Freeman's national notoriety on the hip-hop scene, the rapper has shown a noticeable pride in his current role as a professor.

"This is probably one of my personal greatest achievements in life. It's an excellent step in the right direction for hip-hop. Being able to give back to is an incredible feeling," Freeman said.

Freeman has been challenged in the role, as he and Pinn developed an in-depth reading list for the course which they constantly refer to during lectures.

"It's essential that we draw from texts that students wouldn't necessarily see otherwise," Freeman explained. "Jay-Z's Decoded is a great example of how we want to highlight some of the self-exploration that rappers have gone through. By using his book we can show why certain themes from his life carried over into his music - specifically themes that have to do with religion."

Pinn agreed, noting that the course and its readings will serve students far after they have completed this semester.

"The impact extends well beyond this semester. This course is connected to our efforts to put together a hip hop archive. We want Rice to be the place people come to study hip-hop."

Freeman and Pinn both agreed that students have embraced the notion of "studying" hip-hop rather than just listening to it, even with a professor as recognizable as Freeman.

"The class has been very mature in its handling of me as a professor. I think the students have recognized that I've worked hard on this. I'm not just up here rapping or talking about songs or talking about my friends. When I'm here I'm not a rapper, I'm an educator," Freeman said.

Keeping his identities as a rapper and an educator separate have been imperative, Freeman explained. Student groups such as KTRU have inquired as to his willingness to perform for on campus concerts, but he has declined all requests.

"There's more than enough instances for them to see me as a rapper. They can YouTube and Google all day, I do concerts all the time. If I bring that side of myself into the trees it may start to take away from what we're trying to say and speak about in this course," Freeman explained. "Just to be sure that we don't send any mixed messages, I'm declining things like [the KTRU concert.]"

Pinn, agreeing with Freeman's decision to distinguish these two identities, offered compliments as to Freeman's dynamic abilities.

"Prof is multi-dimensional. We wanted the campus to have a solid appreciation for his thought, an appreciation for the way in which he provides information within the context of our curriculum. Folks know Prof as an artist - we need to appreciate the depth of his thinking."

Pinn has also expressed that his overall goal is to push students outside their comfort zones, noting that the diverse background of the students has allowed them to do this.

"We understand that if students are going to wrestle between the intersections of religion and hip-hop it often means they are going to be pushed beyond their comfort zone. That's the moment when we really engage with students and when we learn," Pinn said.

When asked about the course's population, Freeman agreed that having students from various academic backgrounds adds to the quality of the discussion.

"This classroom is filled with people who want to learn. Some have a sensitivity more toward religion, some toward humanities, some toward the music and the art form. If you come in here looking for a religious education, there's no way you can come out of here without an understanding of hip-hop and vice versa."

Pinn, expanding on this point, explained that students are being challenged by the diversity of the subject matter.

"Both with hip-hop and religion we're asking students to push themselves. We're asking students to think beyond churches, mosques and synagogues and think about religion in more expansive ways that tap into popular culture. We're asking them to push beyond their comfort zone."

This educational philosophy has not been exclusive to the students.

"Quite frankly I've been pushed beyond my comfort zone," Freeman added.

However unconventional or unlikely the subject matter may be, the popularity of and the positive student response to Pinn and Freeman's RELI 157/311: Religion and Hip-Hop course are undeniable. After a semester filled with positive student feedback and a great deal of university-wide support, Pinn's ambitions to establish Rice as an epicenter for hip-hop study may soon be fulfilled.

Graphic by Clare Ouyang

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