AIDS, assimilation of immigrants, income inequality?

What could Professor of African American Studies Francis Irele be talking about?

Why, Hip Hop, of course.

Stanford’s Marcyliena Morgan was denied tenure under Larry Summers’s administration of Harvard three years ago. But now, Harvard has poached her, and she and her husband, also an Af-Am Studies academic (though a statistician, which is the opposite of Hip Hop, I think) will be returning to Cambridge.

Irele says she “look[s] at [Hip Hop] from a very sophisticated standpoint—not just some kind of popular, populist approach, very theoretical.” …sigh…

Also, in case you missed it, check out Princeton’s Cornel West’s new spoken-word album, which “Brother West,” as he styles himself, says “is an attempt to go back to hip-hop’s prophetic roots, which are about truth-telling, exposing lies, and having fun.” Its first track is called “Bushanomics”; another, “911.”