aim to inform -- it might not be too out there to think of some works as educational. And why not? Just because the information imparted is set to some 808s doesn't mean that it's not valid. I don't see there being a University course entitled "Hip-Hop and Philosophical Theory" any time soon (though I would definitely take it if such a thing existed); but academic insight can become apparent in unlikely ways. I'm presently doing a linguistics degree, my personal area of interest is Language and Identity. Consider for a moment, the concept of 'Authenticity'. It's where you (consciously or otherwise) affect your speech so something about you is more obvious to the people you're speaking to. I for one, take pride in my Londoner accent. And upon listening to "Country Cousins" by Talib Kweli , he became a really good example for me to cite: I walk and talk kinda fast and thought of as a New York kinda rhymer But most New Yorkers got family in South and North Carolina L.A. is 'Little Alabama' They walk and they talk with a country grammar And you think everybody else sound country So they started callin' 'em 'Bamas It's not every day that you'd expect someone to spit lyrics about sociolinguistics, but more than that, it's something interesting and relevant. Lupe Fiasco definitely has a corner marked out for sending a message, his second album, The Cool , was all about how a careless pursuit of a gangsta lifestyle,