Twin Cities college students can go to William Mitchell and study law, they can go to the U of M and study veterinary medicine, they can go to McNally Smith College of Music and study hip-hop. Wait. What?

St. Paul's very own McNally Smith is proud to announce the first accredited diploma program devoted to, you heard me right, hip-hop studies. Headed by Toki Wright, the newest addition to local hip-hop powerhouse record label Rhymesayers Entertainment, the program kicks off this August. Music theory, language of rap and spoken word, business, and recording technology courses build up this program's three semester span, which can be completed within twelve months. Students can expect to build writing skills, recording and production knowledge and experience, as well as hands on DJ work on the tables. Understanding hip-hop's role and influence in past, present, and future culture will be a key focus of the program. Students can expect to learn from Minneapolis's best, with local musicians and producers making up this faculty roster: Toki Wright, the Doomtree crew's very own Dessa, Heiruspecs' Sean McPherson, and engineer/producer, Joe Mabbott (Atmosphere.) 

AB: McNally Smith is the first to offer a Hip-Hop Studies Diploma in the entire country. Do you feel that has something to do with the experience and background of the faculty or Minneapolis's growing Hip-hop roster?

TW: The more prevalent factor is McNally Smith’s openness to offer the diploma. There are hip-hop scholars across the world. This is the first time that you have upper level academia fully accepting the need to embrace hip-hop culture as a valued culture. It’s one thing to allow a class, or a section of a class, but to attempt to study the culture from this many angles is ambitious.

Minneapolis’s growing hip-hop roster helps, but our history will never be as deep as New York City or Los Angeles. We are an extension of a growing and expanding community.

AB: Do you see this being a course of study that catches on in other musically driven colleges and schools?

TW: At some point I believe most upper level academia will catch on. You can’t ignore hip-hop’s global impact on society, culture, economics, and politics. It would be like ignoring the Internet because you don’t understand its validity. It doesn’t matter whether you understand it or not. If you want to be in sync with how young people communicate you have to learn to understand.

AB: The courses sound amazing and diverse, but what does one do after graduation with a diploma in this field?

TW: People have to be clear that the hip-hop diploma is not an end all be all. It is a marker for success that supplements other areas of your education. Credits from the diploma apply to other degrees accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music. The difference is that you are able to get a well rounded introduction to college from a perspective that makes sense to those appreciative of hip-hop, and it is a marker for success. Diploma recipients will be able to apply their skills in other areas with a better understanding of contemporary culture.

AB: What do you and the other faculty members behind the course have to say to those that aren't exactly in support of a degree this unheard of?

TW: To speak only for myself I would say that I was once told that a healthy amount of skepticism is good for you. You should always question ideas whether they are new or widely accepted. In the same token I would say that just because you disagree with the idea of a diploma program doesn’t mean that it isn’t valid. At some point in history philosophy, civil law, architecture, theology, etc., had to go through the same process of having their validity questioned. Eventually they were accepted into the canon of upper-level education.

AB: For those that don't understand the way hip-hop culture has driven music and the overall culture of many generations, this program might seem like a gimmick targeting low-income urban minorities. What rebuttals do you have to support this diploma and it's potential?

TW: I would say first of all that no person should pay for school without having a good understanding of what it will cost. Prospective students should think very carefully about what they want to get out of life and if choosing this path will help them get there. The diploma program is not for everybody. Coming from someone with a clear understanding of being a “low-income urban minority,” I couldn’t consciously set people up for failure.

Secondly, 75 percent of hip-hop purchases are made by white youth who do not live in the inner city. The interest in hip-hop is global.

Third, hip-hop is a $12.6 to $30 billion dollar industry depending on the year. There is plenty of room to create a space for yourself if you are ambitious and a critical thinker. This diploma is not about mass producing rappers and beatmakers. This is about having a clear understanding of music, music business, language, music history, and recording technology.

AB: One quick look at the faculty on board this program and it's easy to see that many years of experience on and off stage in the music industry are a driving factor in the success of this program being launched. Was this an easy thing to get off the ground? Were you all originally on the same page? Where did the idea stem from?

TW: The process of creating and submitting the curriculum for the diploma program took years. This wasn’t something someone just whipped together to make money. It is very difficult to get support when you are dealing with many of the same questions that the general public would ask. You have to clearly know what you are trying to accomplish.

AB: It need not be mentioned that Minneapolis's own rap label, Rhymesayers, is domineering their claim to the top in the nation's music scene. Is the label helping you out at all - will they be a part of the program?

TW: I am the newest artist on Rhymesayers. My album “A Different Mirror” will be released June 9. I also host a news segment on RSE Radio in KFAI.

AB: Growing up with hip-hop, I've always heard the same argument, “Rap isn't music.” Do you think this program will sway the minds of parents and communities that have this same mentality, considering that McNally is one of the most reputable music colleges in the nation?

TW: The fact that it has been given a space like this in a college will eventually sway the opinions of some. There are those that will never see the validity of hip-hop. That is their opinion that they are free to have. But anyone who is in tune with society sees hip-hop culture represented everywhere. At some point it has to be looked at critically.

AB: Since the announcing of the new course, what has feedback been like? Are people excited? Nervous? Doubtful?

TW: There is a good balance of all of those feelings. Personally I am very excited about the prospects of this diploma and look forward to the upcoming year.

It should come as no surprise to Minneapolis hip-hop fans that there are already students enrolled for the first semester of the program. The school will be hosting a diploma kick-off concert on April 24 with Zion-I, Doomtree, and Toki Wright at McNally Smith 19 Exchange Street East, in St. Paul. For more information contact 651-291-0177 or visit http://www.mcnallysmith.edu/

###