For close to four years now, UGK rapper Bun B has served as co-teacher of a Hip Hop and religion class, specifically Religious Studies 331: Religion and Hip- Hop Culture, at Houston, Texas’ Rice University. Along with Dr. Anthony Pinn, the professor he teaches alongside, Bun B recently appeared on Hot 97 to discuss his teaching gig at Rice.
According to Bun, over the past four years he’s strived “to maintain the integrity of the class” and his standing at Rice University. And to do so, the rapper says he’s turned down over six figures worth of performance requests at Rice.
Bun later spoke on the decision to offer his Hip Hop and religion class for free online to non-Rice University students.
“I’ve literally—Over the four years that I’ve been associated with the university I’ve turned down over six figures worth of performances from the university because I want to maintain the integrity of the class and my standing on the university,” Bun B said. “So, like I won’t rap at the school. They’ve asked me to do their [Screamfest] every year since I started teaching. And I turn it down every year. Cause I don’t want to compromise the integrity of the course…If we had a room that held 400 people we’d probably have 400 students on campus. But since we can’t facilitate the number of people that would like to take the course, we found a way to make it available to people who couldn’t attend Rice University. Made it available for them and made it free for them.”
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Bun B, who revealed that he quickly became “fascinated” after initially serving as a guest speaker at Rice University, later spoke on teaching to those who have put in “a serious effort to be informed.”
“That was the one thing that really shaped me during the course of teaching, is being in a position to directly speak into the hearts and minds of young America,” he said. “Because it’s a private university and it’s not the easiest university to get into. And it’s not cheap. So, everybody in my classroom is making a serious effort to be informed. So, that’s different from a high school teacher or a middle and elementary school [teacher]. So, that being said, I have to respect that intention and I have to be mindful of it when I come into the classroom every day.”
Bun B’s interview with Hot 97 can be found below (via HotNewHipHop).
