MCCCD Program Description

Hip-Hop Music and Culture

Course: MHL204

First Term: 2015 Spring

Lecture 3.0 Credit(s) 3.0 Period(s) 3.0 Load
Subject Type: Academic
Load Formula: S- Standard

Description: A history of Hip-Hop`s musical and artistic elements and how cultural, social, political, and economic conditions have shaped its evolution.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Define terms and vocabulary associated with the musical and artistic practices of Hip-Hop. (I) 2. Describe the role the Bronx, New York played in the creation and development of Hip-Hop. (I) 3. Explain the creation and development of disc jockey (DJ) performance techniques. (I) 4. Describe the importance of graffiti writing and its influence on popular culture. (I) 5. Analyze the gestural aesthetics of Hip-Hop culture. (I, II) 6. Identify the histories of Hip-Hop culture and its elements. (I, II, III) 7. Identify the styles of Hip-Hop music, subgenres, and artists, and their stylistic features. (II, III) 8. Critically analyze and interpret key works of Hip-Hop music. (II, III) 9. Cite examples of scholarly writing and critique on the topic of Hip-hop music. (I, II, III) 10. Apply critical and analytical skills by preparing and revising oral and written discourse on topics central to Hip-Hop music and culture. (I, II, III) 11. Analyze the social, economic, and political effects and trends emerging through the historical development of Hip-Hop music. (I, III) 12. Explain the basic technical steps that Hip-Hop musicians (MCs, DJs, producers) use to create music. (III)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Origins and Emergence / Hearing Musical Style A. Early emergence and vocabulary 1. Rupture and flow 2. Afro-Diasporic roots 3. The Bronx, New York 4. Aesthetics 5. Hip-Hop elements a. DJing b. Breaking c. Graffiti d. The emcee (MC) II. New School and Politics A. Elements of production 1. Beat matching 2. Scratching 3. Sampling B. New School emerges and develops 1. Parameters of short duration a. Meter b. Groove 2. Rap style analysis a. Old School b. New School C. Elements of dance 1. Breaking 2. Popping and locking 3. Clowning III. Gangsta Rap and Contemporary Movements A. East Coast vs. West Coast 1. Five Percenters a. Relation to politics b. Relation to the Nation of Islam 2. Women in Rap 3. Graffiti and the emergence of street art B. The emergence of pedagogy 1. Scratching techniques and composition 2. Movement practices and techniques a. Top rocking b. Krump

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: November 25, 2014

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.