Canadian university to offer a class on Drake and The Weeknd

Drake and The Weeknd have established themselves as certified legends in the music industry. X University will offer a course on the duo.

[Sept 28, 2021: Kiyonna Anthony]

X University -- formerly known as Ryerson University, is offering a class about Canadian artists The Weeknd, left, and Drake, right. (CREDIT: Getty Images)

Both Drake and The Weeknd have established themselves as certified legends in the music industry. So much so that a Canadian University is gearing up to offer courses on the OVO XO duo, to discuss and dissect their contributions to Hip Hop.

Journalist and scholar Dalton Higgins, a professor at X University -- formerly known as Ryerson University -- will teach the eclectic course entitled “Deconstructing Drake and The Weeknd”.

According to Higgins, who is also the school's music professor in-residence, he noticed an increase of Hip Hop centered lectures and courses being taught at academic institutions over the last few years, and decided to put his own spin on it.

“On American college campuses, there are easily more than 300 hip-hop courses being taught about artists like Jay-Z, Outkast, Beyonce (there are a lot of Beyoncé courses). Many Ivy League universities including Harvard and Cornell, have fully embraced hip-hop education, so we can do the same here. It's time to get our Canadian rap and R&B icons recognized and canonized academically or otherwise. And it is critical for scholars and historians to examine the Toronto music scene that birthed Drake/Weeknd and helped create the conditions for them to become mega-successful," Higgins said.

Journalist and scholar Dalton Higgins, a professor at X University -- formerly known as Ryerson University (CREDIT: Karen-Bell Higgins)

Higgins knows his fair share of history when it comes to Drake and The Weeknd and has given lectures on Black music and hip hop at numerous universities.

He has written six books on the topic, and in 2012, he penned a biography on Drake's life, entitled "Far From Over: The Music and Life Of Drake, The Unofficial Story". News of the course came just after Drake once again broke several records thanks to his fifth studio album Certified Lover Boy.

"Deconstructing Drake & The Weeknd," will be offered in the Winter semester beginning January 2022 at X University.

Creative School Dean Charles Falzon told reporters, "Even before registration opens, the enthusiasm for the class is already quite significant so I have a feeling it'll pack up very quickly."

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Tags: #Celebrity_Good_News, #Drake, #The_Weeknd, #Education, #University, #Canada, #The_Brighter_Side_of_News


Joseph Shavit
Joseph ShavitSpace, Technology and Medical News Writer
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