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Kanye Apparently Not ‘Traditionally American’ Enough to Receive Performance Invite to Inauguration

Posted byBy Kiersten Willis | Published on: CommentsComments (0)

Kanye West (rodrigoferrari/Flickr)

It turns out Kanye West’s December meeting with President-elect Donald Trump did not result in an invite to perform at the inauguration, but the rapper will be the subject of a college course on his intelligence that created so much buzz there was a waiting list to get in.

Dr. Jeffrey McCune is currently teaching “Politics of Kanye West: Black Genius and Sonic Aesthetics” at Washington University, which will allow students to explore the intersecting issues of politics, race, gender, sexuality and culture.

McCune told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Wednesday, Jan. 18, he has wanted to teach a class on Black intellect for a long time.

“I always wanted to teach a course looking at Black genius and the impossibility of Black genius for the American public,” the professor of African and African-American Studies and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies said. “We’re always thought of as maybe being articulate or smart but not really genius.”

McCune also noticed West’s influence on students as they constantly reference his work and fashion sense. That interest translated to a waiting list for entry and 75 students registering for the class.

“[There’s] a healthy dose of confidence and investment in Black excellence that translates to so many people, and young people in particular,” McCune told the publication.

The 14-week course will include subjects like “Touch the Sky, When the Aspirant Turns Genius” and “I Love Kanye, or How Critique Slips Into Hate.”

The latter subject describes much of what happened online when the public slammed West for meeting to discuss “life” with Trump last year.

Trump’s long-time friend Tom Barrack told CNN on Tuesday, Jan. 17, that the team has not invited West to perform at Trump’s inauguration.

“He considers himself a friend of the President-elect, but it’s not the venue,” Barrack said. “The venue we have for entertainment is filled out, it’s perfect, it’s going to be typically and traditionally American, and Kanye is a great guy, but we just haven’t asked him to perform. We move on with our agenda.”

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