“Jay Z, Transculturation, and German Hip-Hop:” A Talk By President Michael J. Sosulski

March 1st, 2023

On Wednesday, March 1st at 6:00 p.m., President of Washington College Dr. Mike Sosulski gave a talk in the Rose O’Neill Literary House. This was President Sosulski’s first time delivering a lecture in the space since becoming president. The talk, titled “Jay Z, Transculturation, and German Hip-Hop,” was organized by Associate Director of the Lit House and Visiting Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing Roy Kesey, Assistant Director of the Lit House Amber Taliancich, and Director of the Rose O’Neill Literary House and Associate Professor of English Dr. James Allen Hall. Dr. Hall introduced President Sosulski, stating that “for Mike, making the ordinary extraordinary is at the center of transformative learning.” President Sosulski introduced the audience to theories of transformative learning and cultural dissonance. He spent time breaking down aspects of transculturation, such as the theorized “contact zone.” After establishing this background, President Sosulski showed a series of music videos: “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” from Disney’s 1982 film adaption of the hit broadway musical Annie, Jay Z’s 1998 song “Hard Knock Life,” the 1992 verse “Foreign in my own Country” by German hip-hop group Advanced Chemistry, and the 2009 so-called gangster rap song “Check mich aus” by rapper Fler. President Sosulski analyzed the lyrics and film techniques present in each of these videos to demonstrate how power structures are established and re-established as rappers search for a sense of identity—specifically national identity, in the case of German hip-hop. 

Coverage by Emma Reilly ‘23