Beyoncé, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar have a lot in common, but there's something unexpected that sets them apart from their peers: They've each been the subject of a college course.
Now, thanks to an approved class at the University of California, Berkeley, the prolific Frank Ocean will join the elite and growing class of musicians who can claim that their work and celebrity is worthy of academic study.
SEE ALSO:Facebook rolls out lip-syncing feature that's a lot like Musical.lyPer The Fader, Preya Gill and Deborah Change are the two Berkeley students who proposed the class. They'll also be the ones at the front of the classroom teaching Ocean-centric lessons to students come fall 2018. They told the magazine that the course will cover everything from gender politics to the artist's musical influences, and will do so through the lens of Ocean's discography.
Gill tweeted the news on June 15th alongside a promotional course poster featuring an illustration of Ocean's latest album Blonde. The course title, "Brain Like Berkeley," comes from the lyrics to the artist's 2011 track "Novacane."
Tweet may have been deleted
"We want to encourage a deep literary exploration of his artistry both in lyrics and through his visuals and live performances," the duo told The Fader. "We hope to provide a safe environment where students can discuss his poetry and music with sensitivity, creative respect, and open-mindedness."
After Gill's announcement, fans of Ocean flooded Twitter with excitement about the course. (For those in the Berkeley area, Gill tweeted that opportunities to audit the class will be available.)
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
While Ocean hasn't responded to the news, his family members have been vocal about their enthusiasm for the course. His mother Katonya Breaux, founder of Unsun sunscreen,tweeted her props, while his younger brother Ryan simply tweeted, "Enroll me".
Tweet may have been deleted
Tweet may have been deleted
Gill and Change won't be the only ones giving Ocean's work a thorough analysis. The critically lauded podcast "Dissect" has dedicated its entire season to Ocean as a musician and as an enigma. If you're not interested in enduring mounds of student debt to learn a bit more about the artist, you can listen to the podcast here.
[H/T The Fader]
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