Quote from Alex bobby on July 15, 2025, 5:24 AM

Kendrick Lamar Gets His Own University Course as Cultural Legacy Enters the Classroom

Hip-hop continues to cement its place in academia—and this time, it’s Kendrick Lamar taking centre stage. Temple University in Philadelphia is set to launch a new course titled “Kendrick Lamar and the Morale of M.A.A.D City” in the Fall 2025 semester, a bold recognition of the Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper’s impact on music, identity, and the broader Black experience in America.

While Kendrick Lamar is currently captivating audiences across Europe on his Grand National tour alongside SZA, this academic development offers fans another kind of tribute—one not delivered on stage, but in the classroom.

A New Academic Chapter for Lamar

The course, offered through Temple’s Department of Africology and African American Studies, is designed and will be led by Professor Timothy Welbeck, Director of the university’s Centre for Anti-Racism. Welbeck is no stranger to merging pop culture with pedagogy; his past classes have explored the works of Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z, and Beyoncé. With Kendrick Lamar, however, Welbeck sees an especially profound subject.

“Kendrick Lamar is one of the defining voices of his generation,” Welbeck told NBC10. “His art and life are deeply reflective of the Black experience in many telling ways.”

The course title itself is a nod to two of Lamar’s most influential albums—Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers—works that tackle everything from gang culture and spiritual trauma to therapy, generational burdens, and self-worth. Students will dive into themes of racial identity, masculinity, societal structure, and the pursuit of self-actualisation, all through the lens of Lamar’s critically-acclaimed discography.

Hip-Hop in Academia: From Margin to Mainstream

Kendrick Lamar joins a growing list of musicians whose work has earned a place in university syllabi. US institutions have led this trend, offering full courses on artists such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and even Britney Spears. These courses aren’t just about music—they’re windows into politics, identity, feminism, race, and representation.

The growing recognition of hip-hop as a legitimate academic field signals a shift in how universities perceive culture. At Temple University, this embrace is more than symbolic—it's a structural commitment. Welbeck emphasized that his department “has embraced the study of hip-hop in academic spaces,” reflecting an institutional awareness of its power and relevance.

What About Europe?

While the United States leads in these pop-culture-based courses, European universities have begun to catch on. In 2022, France’s prestigious École Normale Supérieure (ENS) introduced a seminar series titled “Beyoncé: Nuances of a Cultural Icon”. The seminars adopted an interdisciplinary approach, combining philosophy, art history, literature, and history to unpack Beyoncé’s influence on cultural identity and representation.

In Belgium, Ghent University launched Europe’s first Taylor Swift-inspired literature course in 2023. The elective explored Swift’s songwriting as a literary vehicle, comparing her narrative style and poetic structure with iconic American writers like Robert Frost, Margaret Atwood, and Emily Dickinson.

Scotland’s Glasgow Clyde College took a slightly different route, offering a Taylor Swift course designed for parents accompanying their children to The Eras Tour. The goal was to help them understand her music and fandom, reflecting the multi-generational appeal of modern pop stars.

While these initiatives show that Europe is dipping its toes into celebrity-focused academia, the continent still trails the US in terms of scale, depth, and diversity of offerings.

The Broader Implication: Music as Mirror

The growing popularity of these university courses signals more than just an appreciation for chart-topping hits. Artists like Kendrick Lamar are being recognized for their storytelling power, social commentary, and ability to spark dialogue about history, identity, and justice.

Lamar’s albums don’t merely entertain—they provoke. Good Kid, M.A.A.D City introduced the world to Kendrick’s complex experience growing up in Compton, while Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers unflinchingly dissected therapy, toxic masculinity, and cultural trauma. His latest album, GNX, earned critical praise for its emotional resonance and stripped-down sonic ambition. In our review of GNX, we noted how it blends cinematic tracks like “squabble up” and sharp-edged social critiques like “wacced out murals” with introspective ballads such as “gloria”.

Each project adds to Lamar’s growing legacy—not only as a musical genius but as a modern-day griot, chronicling the hopes and hardships of his generation.

A Tour of Influence

Currently on the European leg of his Grand National Tour with SZA, Kendrick Lamar is performing across cities like Paris, London, Milan, Madrid, and Warsaw until August 9. After that, the duo heads to South America and then wraps up in Australia on December 10. The global scope of the tour only reinforces Lamar’s status as a cultural heavyweight.

Looking Forward

The introduction of “Kendrick Lamar and the Morale of M.A.A.D City” at Temple University is not just a milestone for the rapper—it’s a signal of a broader academic shift. As universities increasingly recognise the cultural, social, and literary weight of modern music, we can expect to see more courses that bridge the gap between pop culture and higher education.

In the future, it’s likely that more European institutions will follow the lead of their American counterparts, offering deeper academic engagement with contemporary artists like Kendrick Lamar, SZA, Burna Boy, Rosalía, and others who are shaping global consciousness through music. These classes won’t simply analyse lyrics—they’ll examine how music intersects with race, politics, gender, identity, and resistance.

For now, Kendrick Lamar’s classroom debut marks a powerful reminder: that music can be both a form of entertainment and a critical tool for learning, empathy, and social awareness. And with his Grand National Tour reaching new audiences across Europe and beyond, Lamar’s legacy continues to grow—not just as an artist, but as a living text.

Conclusion

As Kendrick Lamar continues to fill arenas and top charts worldwide, his influence now reaches into university lecture halls—bridging the gap between entertainment and education. Temple University’s new course not only honour’s Lamar’s artistry but affirms the academic legitimacy of hip-hop as a mirror to the human experience. With similar classes emerging in parts of Europe, it’s clear that the world is beginning to understand what fans have known all along: Kendrick Lamar isn’t just a rapper—he’s a storyteller, philosopher, and cultural force worth studying.

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Kendrick Lamar is the subject of a new university course at Temple University, Philadelphia. Explore how US and European schools are embracing hip-hop and pop culture in academia.