Located in a Penn Linguistics Department office, the Center might not rival the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame for its palatial grandeur, but it has similar goals in mind. At the moment, the repository holds about 100 or so albums, a few dozen magazines and a handful of movies. Posters of Wyclef Jean, Redman and Lauryn Hill demarcate the Center, which is little more than a couple of desks. In the coming months, they plan to set up listening stations for those interested in studying the Center's collection. Tracks from the West tend to accentuate the beat first and then the story second while songs in the East highlight lyrics first.
Midwestern rappers are distinctive for their mode of speaking.
Dr. Bill Labov, Penn Linguistics Professor and the sponsor of the Hip Hop Center, contends rappers are underappreciated as intellectuals. Working with Labov, LeeYow and other associates created elementary school teaching tools that appropriate elements of hip-hop. Part of the challenge of implementing these works is educating teachers on the headier side of an art form better known for its violent and misogynistic edge. There is as much misogyny in Oedipus Rex as most gangsta rap, notes LeeYow. Soon the Center will be seeking donations to build their holdings.