I think he's rolling with Mark Anthony Neal - prolly one of the top hip hop studies guy, but MAN is the perfect example of what imcvspl is talking about - emphasizing social/anthropological aspects of the culture...and often melding it with the black academic perspective - which almost always boho in flavor. (and unfortunately the other option is Clarence Thomas/Ward Connerly/Thomas Sowell).

A true study of hip hop would handle the lyrical aspect of course, but the musical aspect. And when the "western notation"/philosophy could not adequately describe what was happening - scholars would attempt to form a new way to describe hip hop and cast off models that don't work.

I don't really see that happening, and I don't think it can happen because the Academy has really captured the way people even approach hip hop. i.e, they can't think about it any other way, that's why the scholarship is so self serving.

one
k. orr