Morehouse professor on how hip-hop intersects with philosophy and critical thinking

Illya Davis, a philosophy professor at Morehouse College and the director of New Students & Transition Programs, defines hip-hop in one single word: imaginative.

“I think it’s one of the more recent instantiations of what Black folk create when you give them time,” said Davis. “It’s no more less than the value of jazz or blues, gospel, spirituals. I want it to remain within the context of African American creative culture.”

Davis was a guest on Friday’s edition of “Closer Look” as part of the program’s “Hip-Hop @ 50” series. He explained how hip-hop intersects with philosophy and critical thinking.