AtUMassandbeyond,hiphopdraws

growingacademicinterest
ByCOLLINBINKLEY
Nov.19,20168:32AMEST

PaceyFoster,araphistorianandprofessoratUMass,reviewswithacollectionofhiphopcassette...
BOSTON(AP)TheforgottenmusicofBoston'searlyhiphopandrapsceneisbeingrevivedbytwo
unlikelyheroes:alocalcollegeandthepubliclibrary.
ResearchersattheUniversityofMassachusettsBostonhavebeenworkingwiththeBostonPublicLibrary
tocompileanonlinearchiveofdemotapesbythecity'stophiphopandrapartistsofthe1980s.Opening
tothepubliconSaturday,theMassachusettsHipHopArchivewascreatedinparttoreclaimthecity'srole
inthegenres'history.
"It'sbeenanuntoldstory,"saidPaceyFoster,araphistorianandprofessoratUMass."Bostonisnotacity
thathashaditsrightfulplaceintheearlystoriesofhiphophistory."
ThearchiveaimstoconnectnewaudiencestoearlyrapartistssuchastheAlmightyRSO,Guru,andothers
whohavefadedfrommemoryeveninBoston.
Buttheprojectisalsointendedtosparkacademicinterestinthecity'srapandhiphoproots.Likea
growingnumberofU.S.colleges,UMassisencouragingstudentstoapproachhiphopasascholarly
subject.Severalstudentshavealreadystartedresearchtiedtothearchive,andtheuniversitylauncheda
newcourseonhiphopin2014.

Itjoinsdozensofotherschoolsnationwidethathaveaddedclassesonhiphopinrecentyears,analyzingits
valuetofieldsfromsociologytowomen'sstudies.
AtBowieStateUniversity,ahistoricallyblackcollegeinMaryland,studentscanearnaminorinhiphop
studies.TheUniversityofArizonasaysitofferedthenation'sfirsthiphopminorin2012.Ayearlater,the
rapperNasirJonesknownasNasestablishedafellowshipatHarvardUniversityforscholarsofhip
hop.
"Therearesomanydimensionstotheculture,"saidMurrayForman,amediastudiesprofessorat
NortheasternUniversity."It'sreallyrichforanalysisinallkindsofcontexts."
Somescholarsstillquestionwhetherhiphophasaplaceinacademia,butitsacceptanceisgrowing,said
Forman,whowasaNasirJonesfellowlastyear.Universitypresseshavepublisheddozensoftextbookson
rapandhiphop'spoliticalandculturalimportance.Scoresofgraduatestudentshavetakenonsimilartopics
fortheirdissertations.
Forarchivistsinparticular,therehasbeenasurgeofinterestinpreservingtheartifactsofhiphop,
especiallyfromitsearlydaysinthe1970sand1980s,Formansaid.
"Alotoftheearlymaterialsareatriskofdisappearing,"hesaid."Peopledon'twanttobecarryingaround
alltheephemera,theconcertfliersandpromotionalmaterials."
OtherschoolswithmajorhiphoparchivesincludeHarvardandCornellUniversity.Fourhistoricallyblack
collegesinAtlantahousethenotebooksandlettersofrapiconTupacShakur.
ThenewarchiveatUMassfeaturesalmost300demotapes,alongwithaudiofromalocalradioshow
whosehostwascreditedwithdiscoveringmanyofBoston'sbiggestacts.Mostoftheartistsaren't
householdnames,butFostersaidtheirworkcapturestheyouthfulspiritofatimewhenartistswereseeking
anewsound.
"Itwillhavenaturalinterestforacademics,"Fostersaid."Thiscollectionisaverycompletelookatascene
thatnobodyhasheardabout,atamomentwhenrapwasjustexploding."
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