Battle of gully boys: Mumbai University to begin 3-month Hip-Hop cours

Gear up gully boys, your time is here. The University of Mumbai (MU) is set to introduce you to Hip-Hop this academic year, with a certificate course Introduction to Hip Hop Studies'.

Admissions for the three-month course, which will cost around 5,000, will start in June.

The brainchild of Dr Sanjay Ranade, head of the department of communication and journalism at MU, the course received a final approval from an expert committee recently.

Yatindra Ingle, assistant professor at MU, who is also a rapper, will be the coordinator for the course. "A committee was put together to make sure a subject like Hip-Hop can be taught. The approval has come through and we are hoping to attract many students, said Ingle, who also emcees rap battles in and around the city.

The genre, which encapsulates art, music, dance, literature, identity, style and politics, returned to limelight after the film Gully Boy' released earlier this month.

"The course will take students back to the days when Hip-Hop was first introduced in the streets of the US as a platform to speak out against oppression, violence, identity, culture and power, said Ingle.

The course was earlier planned for the academic year 2018-19, but was waiting to be reviewed by an expert panel.

The programme will provide students with basic introduction to the art form, the politics linked to it, and the national and racial boundaries the art form has crossed. It will also discuss women in Hip-Hop.

Artistes from the field will help students understand the concept during their weekend classes. Students will also have to submit a thesis on select topics related to the art form and appear for a written exam to pass the course.

While the introduction of this course has received mixed reactions, Juuhi Babbar Sonii, a theatre artiste, said the programme will give a platform to many budding artistes.

"Any form of art is an inherent talent, but over the years, we have seen how even the best artiste has required traditional training to hone their skills better. This is an interesting course and is affordable. It will prove fruitful to those who are craving traditional training.