by Jeroslyn JoVonn
June 23, 2025
Kendrick Lamar is the inspiration behind a brand new course coming to Temple College.
Temple College will introduce a brand new course in Fall 2025 that explores Kendrick Lamar’s life and music, specializing in the state of Black tradition.
Developed by Temple College Africology and African American Research professor Timothy Welbeck, the course, titled “Kendrick Lamar and the Morale of M.A.A.D Metropolis”, makes use of the Pulitzer Prize-winning artist’s life and music as a tutorial useful resource, WHYY reported. Taking an Africalogical and Afrocentric strategy, the category will look at the socioeconomic realities and cultural backdrop of Lamar’s hometown, Compton, California, in addition to the state of Black tradition that shapes the rapper’s work.
From his highly effective 2016 Grammy efficiency to his headlining set on the 2025 Tremendous Bowl LIX halftime present, Lamar has constantly used his platform to ship uncooked, thought-provoking commentary on America’s therapy of the Black neighborhood. His Grammy-winning albums spark conversations that resonate lengthy after their launch, fueling ongoing debates about race, justice, and the nation’s cultural panorama.
“Kendrick Lamar is likely one of the main voices of his technology and has a eager capability to articulate varied dynamics of black life and the hunt in the direction of self-actualization, and significantly additionally capturing the narrative of marginalization and rising from that,” Welbeck, a lawyerprofessor, and fellow hip-hop artist, mentioned.
Centering Black tradition and hip-hop, the course will discover the roots of West Coast hip-hop and its affect on Lamar’s sound. As a Philadelphia native and hip-hop artist himself, Welbeck views the musical style as a strong lens for understanding generational voices, particularly throughout the Black neighborhood, the place hip-hop has lengthy served as a glance into difficult lived realities.
The course builds on acquainted floor for Welbeck, who beforehand taught “Hip-Hop and Black Tradition” at Temple. With this new class, he hopes college students achieve a deeper appreciation for Kendrick Lamar’s artistry and a broader understanding of hip-hop’s cultural significance on a worldwide scale.
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