Hip Hop panel - Meghan Frank
The thing that struck me the most about the discussion was that "hip hop is the carrot" when it comes to academics. A class about hip hop or rap is not necessarily a class solely dedicated to that subject. Hip hop provides the framework to discuss important cultural topics such as censorship and civil rights. Also, the fact that the panel thought it was important to keep academics separate from the hip hop community was interesting. They thought it is good that the teachers and professors stay "objective observers" because it makes it easier for them to comment on the community. When you look in from the outside and your not in the thick of things you can make unbiased commentary and observations. I agree with the fact that the professors need to stay somewhat separated from the culture but they cannot be completely out of touch. They should be respected within the community or they will not hold any credibility.