The rapper teaching this fall’s Kanye West course at Concordia University knows what he’s talking about, so don’t expect Kanye vs. Ye: Genius by Design to be an easy credit.
Professor Yassin Alsalman, better known to Montreal rap fans as Narcy, has been teaching hip-hop culture classes at Concordia for seven years. Students (and let’s face it, fans who snuck in the back) who’ve attended his classes have had the pleasure of seeing guests pop in like Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Combat Jack, Havoc, and Just Blaze along the way.
This time around, Narcy is still planning who will come to talk about Ye’s outsized importance on 21st century culture. One thing he’s looking forward to doing is looking critically at the man, his music and all the chaos that surrounds him.
“It’s not going to be about Pete Davidson,” Narcy said. “We’re discussing what Kanye represents and the different tiers of society that he penetrates. There’s the design element, there’s the social element, there’s the mental health element.”
“Then there’s the paparazzi and how you deal with that, and how the students are experiencing these things. It’s about being aware and critical around consuming culture. Hip-hop taught me to be empathetic of the human condition, but also to be critically both artistically and socially. We’re going to use Kanye for that conversation.”
“Kanye represents contradiction. I think Western Civilization and capitalism is one big contradiction.”
True to form with anything involving Ye, even the existence of this class was leaked on the Internet before Narcy could roll it out officially. So far, the 200 spots in the class are filled, and Narcy has received requests from as far away as India about attending.
“I knew there would be interest,” Narcy said. “I’ve been working on this since way before Donda, it’s been over a year I’ve been having this discussion with the school.”
He originally wanted to call the class “Kanyetive Dissonance,” but saved it for the course description instead. It’s about the idea of wanting to be part of the industry, but also wanting to do things your own way. Or wanting the fame and glory but dealing with the long-term costs to your well-being. These are questions every artist faces to their own extent, including Narcy.
“Kanye represents contradiction. I think Western Civilization and capitalism is one big contradiction. Everything we do now has an exploitative arm to it: the phone we use, the clothes we wear, the food we eat. Everybody’s W is someone else’s L. He brings up these issues in his personal life, which is not easy to watch,” Narcy said.
“Some of the conversations he brings to the forefront are ones we need to have, and others are problematic, and those conversations have to be had as well. The narcissism of North America is what he represents. I don’t want to be negative and dog him—I want to be critical and understanding of how a successful artist can rise and fall.”
“We were backstage. Ye rolled up in a mink coat and started freestyling with us.”
Narcy would love for the man himself to swing by the class. Although they share a few famous friends, Narcy and Kanye only shared a room once, years ago at a Concordia Palestinian benefit concert. It was one of then-student Narcy’s first shows (with Euphrates) and Talib Kweli was the headliner.
“We were backstage. Ye rolled up in a mink coat and started freestyling with us,” Narcy recalled. At that point, West was a known producer but still just getting his solo career off the ground.
Narcy is returning with a new album of his own this fall, with single drops on a regular basis until then. His first new track is “IRAQAFELLA,” which also happens to be the name of the album. He coined the phrase years ago, and merch emblazoned with the term has been a consistent hit, with even the likes of Jay Electronica sporting Narcy’s wares.
“If ever I’m asked to speak about my country, I always want to share culture and put a positive spin,” Narcy said. “IRAQAFELLA has been a through line for all my work. The name has become synonymous with who I am as a person from Iraq and Canada. I want to tell my story for the next generation of young Arabs in North America to never let go their identity.”
The album’s eponymous cut allowed Narcy to check a name off his bucket list: legendary American producer Nottz.
“The classic shit that I grew up on, there was Dilla, Dre, Premier, and Nottz. And I got an opportunity to work with him. I made an anthem out of the beat he sent.”
