Africana Studies Commons^™

Yeezus Is Jesuz: Examining The Socio-Hermeneutical Transmediated Images Of Jesus Employed By Kanye West, Daniel White Hodge

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

Kanye is enigmatic in many ways. His continuous reference to deity while still embracing a person like 452 makes him worth the study and effort to explore his contribution and effect in the Hip Hop cultural continuum. This article investigates, Kanye West from a theological and spiritual standpoint to provide insights from his theological aesthetics. While the ever-growing field of Hip Hop studies begins to explore religion in Hip Hop, the present work seeks to address this and develop new theologies/theories that fit both a Hip Hop and Black theology context. While the formal discipline of theology in the United …

I’M So Self-Conscious: Kanye West’S Rhetorical Wrestling With Theodicy And Nihilism, Conā S. M. Marshall

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

Whether Kanye’s plea to God is to intervene because “the devil’s trying to break [him] down,” or that he (Kanye) is “tryna keep [his] faith,” Kanye West’s lamentations communicate his wrestling of succumbing to sufferings within the world. Despite the twelve-year span between “Jesus Walks” and “Ultralight Beam,” Kanye West’s rhetoric in both songs attempt to make meaning of theodicy—suffering; while simultaneously combating nihilism—the lack of hope. As a professed Christian who articulates the multiplicity of God through Jesus and himself (Kanye West), affirmed on his 2013 album Yeezus track, “I am God,” West complicates religiosity and self-consciousness. He does …

Foreword, Joshua K. Wright

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

I Gotta Testify: Kanye West, Hip Hop, And The Church, Joshua K. Wright, Adria Y. Goldman, Vanatta S. Ford

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

The goal of this project, “I Gotta Testify: Kanye West, Hip Hop, and the Church,” is to add a new perspective to the scholarly discourse on Hip Hop and Christianity within classrooms, religious institutions, and popular culture by focusing on Kanye. We chose to focus on Kanye because he has been one of Hip Hop’s most influential artists in the past decade. Furthermore, Kanye is one of the most polarizing celebrities in America and across the globe. His music, fashion, political views, and family (which includes the Kardashians) dominate discourse on social media, blogs, television, and other forms of mass …

Introduction - Enigma Embodied: The Curious Complexity Of Kanye West, Daniel White Hodge

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

“There’s no way Hip Hop and religion work. No way!” “I just can’t see anything coming out of religion and Hip Hop. It’s like the two don’t even go together.” “Rap music is of the devil. To say there is any God in it is blasphemous!” These were direct quotes I received when I began my journey into the field of Religion and Hip Hop. I was met with firm opposition and the very notion of combining Hip Hop and religion left many angered, bewildered, confused, but definitely not speechless. It was a trifling time and the very thought of …

Meditation - On Millennials, Hip Hop, And Faith, Larrin Robertson

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

The Prosperity Gospels Of Superstardom: Kanye’S Philosophy, Catherine John, Leroy Myers, Zachary Leacock

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

Poem - Untitled, Jasmine Mans

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

Poem – Footnotes For Kanye, Jasmine Mans

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

Meditation – Yeezy’S (Impossible) Love In Fugitivity’S Strings: A Meditation On “Runaway”, James Manigault-Bryant, Lerhonda Manigault-Bryant

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

Meditation – We Killed Kanye: A Manifesto To The Old Kanye Fans, Tari Wariebi

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

Meditation - Losing Kanye, Cynthia Estremera

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

Meditation - Kanye West’S “Jesus Walks,” Black Suffering, And The Problem Of Evil, Angela M. Nelson

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

For Colored Girls And Boys Who Have Considered Suicide/ When Prayer And Good Music Weren’T Enough, Joshua K. Wright

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

April Adams, a 22-year-old Christian graduate student at Howard University, struggled with mental illness for years. Like so many blacks, April expected her faith to serve an elixir for her problems, including depression. However, her prayers were not sufficient. When she was unable to find solace in the church, she sought out an alternative source: the music of Kanye West. She shared her story in a 2016 article, “How An Ultralight Beam Helped My Dark Depression,” which she published in Abernathy magazine. April’s story speaks to the disconnect that many millennials have with the church. Nowhere in her article did …

Meditation - “Ultralight Beam”: The Gospel According To Kanye West, Jeffrey Mccune

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

Meditation From Rev. Nathaniel Yates, Metropolitan Youth Pastor, Nathaniel Yates

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

“How Great:” Reflections On Kanye’S Best Prodigy, Chance The Rapper, Joshua K. Wright

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

Closing Thoughts, Vanatta S. Ford, Adria Y. Goldman

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

Contributors

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

“The Ground On Which I Stand” Healing Queer Trauma Through Performance: Crafting A Solo Performance Through The Investigation Of Ritual Poetic Drama Within The African Continuum, Ashley W. Grantham

Theses and Dissertations

“The Ground On Which I Stand”

Healing Queer Trauma through Performance:

Crafting a Solo Performance through the investigation of Ritual Poetic Drama within the African Continuum.

By: Ashley W. Grantham

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Performance Pedagogy at Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Commonwealth University

April 16^th, 2019

Thesis Adjudicator: Dr. Tawnya Pettiford-Wates

Committee: Dr. Keith Byron Kirk, Director of Graduate Studies and Karen Kopryanski, Head of Voice and Speech

How does this method of Ritual Poetic Drama within the African Continuum, by extension, solo performance, …

Bantaba: Designing The Sacred Circle, Tashiara Scott

Theses and Dissertations

MOTIVATION In Richmond, there are 1.21 times as many African Americans as any other ethnic group. Yet 63.4% of African Americans live in poverty (Richmond, VA). African Americans face greater exposure to stress due to low socioeconomic status and poverty. In these communities, “discrimination and deprivation undermine individuals’ ability to accumulate the social and material resources to mitigate the effects of stress” (Brondolo, 2018). In this city’s African American community, where stress levels are high and consequential health concerns are prevalent, dance can be a remedy for managing stress and improving health (Hanna, 2006).

DESIGN PROBLEM How can an intentionally …

Hip Hop Pedagogy As Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, Melanie L. Buffington, Jolie Day

The Melanie Buffington Papers

This paper argues that Hip Hop Pedagogy is a version of Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy and should be a part of art education. Further, we believe that when exploring Hip Hop Pedagogy, teachers need to reference the work of Black female and non-binary artists. After an overview of Hip Hop Pedagogy and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, we argue that these approaches should be a consistent part of art education. Through the work of contemporary visual artist and DJ, Rozeal, we offer suggestions for art educators about how they might transition their practice to embrace some aspects of Hip Hop Pedagogy. Specifically, through …