Students at Armstrong State University can now earn college credit while stimulating and activating their left and right brain as they learn about the music of Outkast.

The Savannah, Ga. college is now offering a course on the careers of André 3000 and Big Boi and how their music affected and exuded the mentality of the American South. 

“My areas of interest are African-American literature and popular culture,” said Regina Bradley, a professor in Armstrong State University’s Languages, Literature and Philosophy department to Savannah Now. “I try to find ways to connect those… Often, students get most of their information, their outlook from how they engage in popular culture.”

The course will welcome both experienced listeners of the Atlanta-based duo’s discography as well as curios novices who are looking to learn more about hip-hop culture. It will also touch on sections of contemporary Black social thought, including the Black Lives Matter movement and how music can be used as a means to communicate in politics.

“Their final project is doing a paper that’s 12-15 pages … for what I call a ‘nerdy hip-hop review,’” Bradley said. “They’ll take an album of their choice — preferably an Outkast album — and give a discussion of the themes and what they hear.”

Bradley, who is clearly a fan of Outkast herself, is also writing a book about her favorite hip-hop group.

Big Boi, who is actually a native of Savannah, caught wind of the course and shared it on Facebook and later told Atlanta’s Creative Loafing, ““I am originally from Savannah, and I remember Armstrong, so that is just super dope.” Bradley was understandably excited to hear about this stamp of approval.

While Outkast hasn’t released an album in more than a decade, their influence on hip-hop and pop culture is undeniable as they’re one of the most popular groups to come out of the genre.

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