Akashdeep Singh | Contributor
Featured image: Hearing about how icons such as KRS-ONE (pictured) or Run-DMC have changed the world through their musical passion is truly inspiring. | Courtesy of Hip Hop Gods
As a student entering my final year of undergraduate studies, taking courses that are not related to my degree is a no-brainer. In my quest to find a suitable class as the 2017-2018 school year drew closer, I decided to take one that a friend had taken previously. Luckily, I was successful in securing the very last spot in a class that I would find to be absolutely packed every single week—and for a good reason.
This class is FA/MUSI 2520: Contemporary Black Urban Music, taught by trombonist, composer, and rapper Ron Westray, who is also the Oscar Peterson chair in Jazz Performance at York. Essentially, it’s an examination of the impact that prominent Black music such as funk, soul, and hip hop have had on culture and society over the years. This has easily become the one class that I eagerly look forward to every week. As an avid fan of rap and hip hop, being able to learn about how the genres originated is absolutely incredible.
Just about everyone is familiar with Notorious B.I.G.’s “Big Poppa,” but do you know where the sample for this iconic track came from? The answer: “Between the Sheets,” created in 1983 by the Isley Brothers. This is just one of many fun facts presented throughout the duration of this class.
It’s not just the material that makes this class so exciting, however, as Westray himself has quite an extensive music background, having shared stages with icons such as Bob Dylan and Stevie Wonder. His professional career started in the early 1990’s, where he recorded and toured nationally with Marcus Roberts Septet, and has been a regular on the New York City club circuit. Westray even released his latest CD, Medical Cures for the Chromatic Commands of the Inner City. How many people can say that they’ve attended a university class taught by someone who raps or has their own CD? Not many, I’d presume.
At the end of the day, this is a class worth taking for any interested in diving into the origins of urban African music, or who are simply looking for a fun class. I would definitely recommend you look into it the next time course enrollment rolls around. Beware, though—spots fill up very quickly!
Although I’ve still got a full school year ahead of me, the material that I’ve learned thus far has sparked my motivation to create. Hearing about how icons such as KRS-ONE or Run-DMC have changed the world through their musical passion had truly inspired me—and I hope this course will do the same for you.
