Last week the album presentation was Kanye West’s first record. It is a very vital record, very game changing for me as were records in my past by Otis Spann, the Beatles, Dylan, Liz Phair, Joni Mitchell and Weather Report. The class discussed anti-semitism, being Christian, the comedic skits between songs, minimum wage jobs, corruption in the music industry, capitalism, socialism, sexism, relationships with one’s parents, what a college degree is or isn’t worth, the melodic use of samples and performing a sample vs. triggering a recording. I love seeing thirty students every Wednesday for three hours who were born in this century, discussing music that blows minds and perhaps how each of us, in our own way, also tries to do that.