Hip Hop, Futurism, and the End of the World

In this course, we will explore the intersections between hip hop, black futurity, science-fiction, and visions of the end of the world. We will focus on hip hop artists who draw themes from fantasy and speculative fiction to both re-make sense of the present and to imagine a radically different future. We will explore how these artists invent personas, identify with the alien, invoke space ships from other planets, and blur the line between human and non-human. While the course underscores themes of futurity and possibility, we will also examine how these themes respond to enduring conditions of racial, gender, and sexual oppression. Artists we will focus on include: Outkast, Janelle Monae, Erykah Badu, and MF Doom.