Hip Hop Professor 'Freaked Out' by Miley Cyrus's Love for Jesus

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Last night on CNN Headline News's "Showbiz Tonight," so-called Hip Hop Professor Marc Lamont Hill noted that he was "freaked out" by Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus's claim that she loves Jesus. Host AJ Hammer played a clip from a YouTube video where Cyrus and pal Mandy answered fans' questions, this one dedicated to their religion:

Are we Christian?

Yes!

Yes. We are.

We love Jesus. Happy Easter by the way. He died for our sins. That is how great he is. That`s why we do what we do. I sing and act Jesus. Not the acting but I sing and dance for Jesus. Actually, I act for Jesus, too. And now that I think about it, I do everything for Jesus.

Yeah, we are. For Jesus.

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Hill was asked by Hammer if he was concerned about Cyrus -- her sudden fame coupled with her youth. His reply?

Exactly. I man, this video freaks me out. I wasn`t inspired when I saw it. No 15-year-old loves Jesus that much. Either she`s heavily calculated or a weird kid and either way, seems like she`s hurdling towards Lindsay Lohan/Britney Spears territory. These were both really good girls who were completely obsessed and a few years later they are hanging off of bar tops. That`s a dangerous thing.

Thankfully, Hammer and other guest Jane Velez-Mitchell called Hill out on his remarks:

HAMMER: You see, I don`t think she`s heavily calculated. I don`t think she`s weird. What do you think, Jane? Are you worried for her? I think she seems to be maintaining a solid path. I don`t think the video strikes me as, oh my God, she`s gone off the deep end.

VELEZ-MITCHELL: I`m not so worried about the Miley. The fact she grew up in a showbiz family, her father famous in his own right, not just some manager trying to capitalize off his kid but been down the road of fame and knows the pitfalls and he has said publicly, if my daughter starts getting into weird behavior, I`m pulling her off the stage.

I wonder how it is that Professor Hill is so "freaked out" by a 15-year old star's professed love for Christ when, for example, he grants space on his own website's blog to convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal, in which he recently wrote that the [publicized] comments of Barack Obama's pastor, Jeremiah Wright, represented merely a "quasi-controversy." Or how Hill is "freaked out" by Cyrus but believes that Jeremiah Wright is an example of a "prophetic preacher," and that he "doesn't know" whether Louis Farrakhan is a racist and anti-Semite.

The mind boggles.

(h/t to NB reader "Barker.")

—D. S. Hube is an educator and a member of the National Association of Scholars. He blogs regularly at The Colossus of Rhodey.


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Good for Miley...and her

Good for Miley...and her friend...plus Miley's parents.

Losers like Hill just don't see the light...despicable company he keeps btw according to his website...says it all.

Btw...Good for CNN/Showbiz tonight Valez-Mitchell and Hammer...I'm somewhat surprised, but never watch the show...I guess I am surprised because it is CNN. 

"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill

Why Fox News

Why Fox News continues to have this racist on their programs is just beyond me.

»→ Lamont Hill

Of course it's going to freak him out that somebody might love Jesus.

Jesus is a polotical football to be kicked around, recolored, used and abused for personal gain.

Those of us who have children who love Jesus are unbelievably blessed.  Sorry about the life you chose, Lamont.

♣ a seal

Cool Arrow

Would he question a Muslim teen who professed a love of Muhammad?  Certainly not.

Says it all

Hip Hop professor?? Says it all. He's probably proud of the title.

 

Not just that title...

He's also one of those non-MD PhDs who badly wants to be called "Doctor."  Ask yourself, "why?"
JMR

A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.

Hill is the guy who was on O'Reilly criticizing President Bush..

Hill is the guy who was on O'Reilly criticizing President Bush for calling Senator Obama 'articulate.'

At least Hill doesn't have to worry about anyone calling him articulate...or credible...or coherent...or logical.

FYI - I'm 'freaked out' by people who spell Mark with a 'c.'

 

 

"It is the desire of the good people of the whole country that sectionalism as a factor in our politics should disappear."

-Rutherford B. Hayes December 6, 1880.

 

 

What a monster this girl

What a monster this girl is! Professing love for Jesus instead of going commando, flashing her goodies or being a knocked up teenager -- what is she thinking?

As a music lover, I find the whole Hannah Montana phenomenon pretty insipid, but it's also pretty harmless. And if the public displays are accurate of who this kid really is, then it seems like her parents have done a good job and I wish her the best when her audience grows up and she needs to move on.

And what the hell is a hip hop professor, how do I become one and how well does it pay?

And what the hell is a hip


And what the hell is a hip hop professor, how do I become one and how well does it pay?

According to the post, he's a "so-called" hip-hop professor; so it sounds like a title he gave himself. So apparently you become one by calling yourself one. I guess if you call yourself one, you can "name" your salary, too! LOL

 

Sweet! I now declare myself

Sweet! I now declare myself a hip hop professor, with my focus of study hiphopology and a minor in gangsta studies. The title of my thesis was "Tupac and Biggie: Are they alive and well with Elvis, Jim Morrison and John Lennon in Brazil?"

And I think my salary should be a modest $1 million a year! LOL

Hip-hop "professor"

is like "Rev." Jesse Jackson and "Rev."Al Sharpton.  Not necessary to earn it, just "ordain" ones self as one.  They'll burn in hell!!  My Grandfather was a Reverand and these imposters are charlatans(sp?).  Hip-hop "professor"......LMFAO!!!!!

A "hip hop professor", as

A "hip hop professor", as the article derisively puts it, is usually one who wrote their dissertation on some aspect of black culture, was hired to an English or sociology department as a professor specializing in African-Americanist studies, and who teaches an occasional class or publishes an article from time to time on the various cultural problems associated with rap music. Which is indeed a rich field of study (just look at how many people recoil in disgust at the very mention of that genre). It also tends to extend somewhat naturally out of jazz studies, as both forms of music have come up against almost identical problems and criticism at certain periods in their development.

I've certainly never seen such an academic call himself a "Hip Hop Professor." Interestingly, this article doesn't make any mention of Hill calling himself that; nor does his website mention it. I suspect it was simply an editorial epithet designed to make him look less credible. Way to impugn an entire legitimate field of study.

Who can revolt if man has become a simple conglomerate of organs, a
person barely free enough to use a remote control to choose his
channel? -J. Kristeva

 

»→ You suspect wrong, JasonC

If you would like to visit his Website, you'll find him described exactly that way.

So all you've done is accuse Marc Lamont of impugning his own field of study.

Way to go Jason.  You must not have gotten the memo.

♣ a seal

Re: His

Re: His Website

Ew...

Well, I still hope that those who are mocking the very idea that hip hop and academica have any business intermingling will realize that not all who study it have vanity websites like this, that it can be a legitimate and fruitful field.

Still, I am embarassed.

»→ Sorry Jason

Sometimes I just can't help it.

I've been watching Lamont rant on O'Reilly for quite a while now.  My take on him was that he does an incredibly poor job of defending bad behavior.

♣ a seal

Legitimate? ok.

But "fruitful" implies it's a good major for any job besides becoming yet-another of those grandstanding political professors. I'm not sure that's the case, but in a way law schools are in the process of proving me wrong via a similarly-unproductive field...
JMR

A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.

»→ sarc

Like so many other fields of "study", a guess that most "Hip Hop Professors" rely totally on government grants is probably your best one.

I get the feeling they exist in the same petri medium as ethanol developers.

♣ a seal

JasonC, are you embarrased

JasonC, are you embarrased by this "professor" or your self-righteous screed?

The self-aggrandizing

The self-aggrandizing website.  And that I implicitly defended him in defending the legitimacy of focusing one's research on hip hop culture.  My general defense of focusing one's research on hip hop and culture stands.  Thanks for asking.

Who can revolt if man has become a simple conglomerate of organs, a person barely free enough to use a remote control to choose his channel?  -J. Kristeva

Jason, He's not described

Jason,

He's not described as a hip hop professor on the website.

It clearly states:

Dr. Hill is Assistant Professor of Urban Education and American Studies

He was simply described as being part of the rising "hip hop intellectual" field, not a hiop hop professor.

Yeah, but the site still

Yeah, but the site still has a certain lack of dignity.  It reminds me of the political authors who want to be taken seriously but put airbrushed glamour shots of themselves on the cover (esp. Coulter) or even incorporate their name/schtick into the title of the book (esp. O'Reilly).  They just lay bare that their goal is as much to flood the market with their focus-grouped personalities as their banal opinions.  So when I saw the way this guy had his website set up, it just sort of smacked of that attitude.   

But my main irritation is with those on NB who assume that specializing in rap culture means sitting around listening to Tupac and analyzing the semiotic implications of the neologism "bee-yotch." 

Who can revolt if man has become a simple conglomerate of organs, a person barely free enough to use a remote control to choose his channel?  -J. Kristeva

Fair Enough Jason, The

Fair Enough Jason,

The guy clearly wants to be an intellectual celebrity hence his tacky website, complete with professional headshots.  I just wanted to point out that Cool was incorrect that he was described as a hip hop professor.

JasonC, I agree with your irritation.  While I dislike much of the contemporary hip hop music, it still has major sociological implications and can be legitimately studied.

PS Your Bee-yotch comment actually reminds me of several threads  I've seen with the Newsbusters going back and forth, trying to imitate 'urban slang'.  It painful to watch and incredibly offensive.

They're also likely to

They're also likely to believe that because certain black subcultures have reappropriated the word "nigger," that it's a double standard that they can't.  No one's saying you CAN'T.  By all means, take a trip to Jordan Downs in L.A. or Chicago's south side or Harlem and call the first black guy you see "nigger."    

I like most contemporary hip-hop.  Most of the people who claim to dislike it morally as well as aesthetically clearly have no idea that there exist sub-genres beyond the garbage on MTV (which is, of course, actually the most conservative, homogenized, and commodified version of rap).  Awhile ago, I posted a list of values commonly held by gangsta rap adherents as well as Reaganite conservatives.  It sounds silly, but it's true; mainstream rap is inherently reactionary and regressive. 

Who can revolt if man has become a simple conglomerate of organs, a person barely free enough to use a remote control to choose his channel?  -J. Kristeva

Hip Hop "professor"

I believe the comment was hip hop "professor" as in, sarcasm towards this being taught for actual school credit in a college.  

As for your little rant about "us" complaining about not being allowed to use the word Nigger and your answer that we can and that we should simply take a ride to Jordan Down in L.A. or Chicago's South Side or Harlem and call the first black man we see nigger pretty much sums up your race relations ability pretty succinctly.  I believe in the hip hop world, you are what they would refer to as a "playa hater".

Besides, the word itself is so very. . . . .Ebonic.

 

 

My only point was this:

My only point was this: White Americans frequently complain that despite the massive taboo of calling a black person nigger, in some circles, black people call each other nigger as a matter of course.

My question is: Why should white people care? Because you feel so oppressed by the double standard? Get over it, crybaby. Or because you actually want to use the term? Well then, that's a problem, isn't it?

This issue tends to be a hop, skip, and a jump from the claim that black people are not only totally equal in every possible way now, but thatthey have "special" privileges, such as the inability to be racist.  (and no, dizzy, I'm not projecting this onto you personally, it is my general take on the matter) 

Who can revolt if man has become a simple conglomerate of organs, a person barely free enough to use a remote control to choose his channel? -J. Kristeva

One needn't want to use a particular term

To note double standards regarding its use, and to decry the double standards' effect on civil society. So there's a third option, which is somewhat inconvenient for the left in this instance, but the best course is unfettered free speech.
JMR

A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.

Of course, which is why I

Of course, which is why I said yesterday: if you really feel the need to use the word, by all means, go to a neighborhood guaranteed to be full of black people (some of whom may even use the word themselves! Bonus!) and let loose. Don't bother booking a return trip ticket...

Who can revolt if man has become a simple conglomerate of organs, a person barely free enough to use a remote control to choose his channel? -J. Kristeva

sociological implications

 it still has major sociological implications and can be legitimately studied.

You are right about that Leon.  And if the classes being taught on hip hop actually address the societal implications brought on by the values of hip hop (and even gangsta rap) by discussing such things as; the ever increasing number of black single parent households, the glamorization of drug dealing and gangbanging (in areas like Jordan Down in L.A., Chicago's Southside, Harlem, etc. -- right, JasonC?), Men denigrating the women in their lives (calling them bitches or ho's and treating them as such), and the basic need for these men to "bed down" as many women as possible, then I would say, "Professor, you have a class to teach".

Anything less, and it is all tripe.

Yes, one aspect of hip hop

Yes, one aspect of hip hop studies is its relationship and role in certain black communities and how it seems to simultaneously promise hope (for instance, a young rapper's only means of getting out of the ghetto) and despair (the message that inevitably, a young black man will be killed by age 18).

But I wholly reject what I see as your implied premise: that all of the negative behavior associated with rap, "the ever increasing number of black single parent households, the
glamorization of drug dealing and gangbanging... and the basic need for these men to 'bed down'
as many women as possible", is always necessarily endorsed by rap artists. And even here I refer to the "gangsta" genre. A fundamental issue of rap studies, in fact, is whether such music is a mirroring-effect critique of such problems, or causal. Surely it works both ways, but blaming one for the other is highly disingenuous. Furthermore, there is a huge subgenre, generally called "underground hip hop" whose explicit message is a rejection of gangsta rap values - they tend to be better rappers too, and are not beholden to major labels. Check out A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, Jurassic 5, Big L, Blackalicious, to name a few. If you actually listen to the lyrics, you will be hard-pressed to find glamorization of drugs and promiscuity.

Yet another issue for rap studies is simply musicological. It is a form with strong links to blues and jazz, and shares the history of the latter, being vilified at every turn by white America. I bet it sounds absurd, Bessie Smith and Charlie Parker being harshly criticized the same way that Ice T and NWA were in the late 80s. But in the 30s and 40s, those jazz artists were seen as equally threatening.

I'm going to link you to a video by NWA, easily the most notorious group of the late 80s gangsta scene (and the starting point for Ice Cube and Dr. Dre), called "Express Yourself." You will be surprised at the level of positivity in this song; and the blatant rejection of drug abuse and materialism:

http://www.youtube.c...

So you see, there are many applications and points of interest in hip hop studies. But to claim that using it for anything else than criticizing aberrant behavior (ie blaming one on the other) misses the point entirely.

Who can revolt if man has become a simple conglomerate of organs, a person barely free enough to use a remote control to choose his channel? -J. Kristeva

»→ Leon

What a seriously weak comeback, Leon.

So in keeping with the spirit of your nitpicky nonsense, I feel it only right to point out that I never used the term "hiop hop professor"

Seems you are the first to use the term. 

♣ a seal

hannah montana beliefs pose a problem but obamas pastor ok

so what was wrong with her expressing her brief and pleasant wishes on youtube, but obamas pastor can preach discord and hatred to sway public opinion and nothing is said about it.

maybe hannah montana should had said allah akbar to please any islamic radicals out there.

bet this guy wont have one issue with what obamas pastor said. 

lunaticcringeradio

What the hell do they want?

What the hell do they want? Should Hannah come out with a song titled "God D*** America"? Would that satisfy them?
"Abstain from McCain"

Yeah it would

Unfortunately countless numbers would become fans.

Support For Hatred OK but Love of Jesus is freaky??????

Mumia stood over a decent man and executed him. He intimidated the justice system into commuting his death sentence.  He spews his hatred from prison using his pawns in the MSM to spread it (who benefit from the controversy they generate by doing so) and if it was David Duke would they honor his request for equal time?  "Reverend" Wright espouses hatred for anybody who isn't black. Fara-freak is no different from any white hooded redneck burning crosses or churches spewing hatred for whites and blacks (traitors) alike.

This so-called professor supports a song genre that itself celebrates the denigration of women, disrespect of authority, violence, drug use and sales, and so on.

Anyone see the pattern here?  I see the reaction of a man who understands that the true message of Christ represents a threat to his basis of power.  He knows that light chases away the darkness he needs to operate.  Who here is the freak?     

I wonder how it is that

I wonder how it is that Professor Hill is so "freaked out" by a 15-year
old star's professed love for Christ when, for example, he grants space
on his own website's blog to convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal,......Or how Hill is "freaked out" by Cyrus but believes that Jeremiah Wright is an example of a "prophetic preacher, and that he "doesn't know" whether Louis Farrakhan is a racist and anti-Semite.

You wonder? He explained himself very well. Loving Jesus is just like going off the deep end like Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan.

Jeremiah Wright, on the other hand, is w "prophetic preacher."

It's easy to see what his values are.

hmmmm

Wonder what psychologist and sociologist Joy Behar would have to say about this obviously mentally ill child.

 

When you men get home and face an anti-war protestor, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend because she knows she’s dating a pussy… ~ Attributed to General Tommy Franks

drill... Shhh!' Don't

drill...

Shhh!'

Don't go giving The View and her any idea's...I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see something about this posted here in the next few days...lol.

"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill

Out of the mouth of babes

(Meaning young people) Maybe after Miley is done with her tour and finds time for college, in a few years, she too can become a "Hip Hop professor". Lord knows we need another one, this one belongs on the DL.

In one of Bruce Willis'

In one of Bruce Willis' movies, he is playing a detective that is caught by the bad guys.  The bad guys need information that they believe Willis has.  So, they have him trussed up and are about to torture him. 

Bad Guy, "If you don't tell us what we want . . .

Willis:  (Interrupting) What?  You goin' play rap music?

 

 

Hold Up, Playah... Um, I Mean, Dr Hill...

Let me think this through out loud, please...

Dr Hill says if you're a hugely successful fifteen-year-old female, come from a responsible, loving family and love Jesus joyfully through your God-given talents, he will immediately freak out, because, in his mind, you are a weird person. No matter how well you live your life, in Dr Hill's eyes, your love of Jesus, this... dangerous obsession... is flinging you toward certain and irreversible personal, physical, and emotional disaster. He will also go on national television to discuss his apprehensions and fears about how terrifying a life you must be living because of, what he believes is, your obsessive love of Jesus at the age of fifteen.

Interesting. You've really got to wonder if Dr Hill actually hears what comes out of his mouth.

I've listened to Dr Hill on many FoxNews programs over the years. I find him to be quite likeable, clever, very charming, and a graduate of the nod-and-smile school of salesmanship. I'm just not buying what he's selling.

Like Reverend Wright, Dr Hill is a propagandist, and not just any kind of propagandist, Dr Hill “is one of the youngest members of the growing body of ‘Hip-Hop Intellectuals’ in the country”, a man that speaks specifically of and through the "hip hop" culture (a very persuasive and pervasive lifestyle and music culture). Like the early career of Barack Obama, Dr Hill is proudly a social justice activist. Some of us see right through the hype. The vast majority of the time I find his "analysis" of any given situation phony and cobbled together simply to be contrary.

I haven't yet discerned if Dr Hill's frequent appearances on news programs are for serious want of his opinion and/or analysis, for the incredulous jaw-dropping "hip hop intellectual" commentary, or for sheer entertainment value (refraining from naming names).

He takes himself sooooooooooooooo seriously and surpasses Chubby Checker in the Twist department with ease, aplomb, and fluidity. He's quite an articulate fellow. His website says so:

"As a professor, scholar, and public intellectual..."

That was enough for me. Sadly, proving again, liberal education ain't all what it's cracked up to be. Did I end that sentence with a preposition? *grin*

My favorite counterpoint of debate by Dr Hill, upon which you can steadfastly rely, always spoken while being denied the opportunity to back peddle, "Yeah, but, but. but..."

Dr Hill did mention in closing on his webpage, "I pray that this site allows you to walk with me on my journey."

Ummm... Pray to Whom Dr Hill? Jesus!? Does Dr Hill love Jesus!? OMG! What is he!? In his twenties!? He's weird! I am so freaked out!

/sarcasm

That was one great

That was one great extemporaneous thinking out loud.

Dr. Hill is to intellectual analysis what Danny Bonaduce is to quantum physics.

Though he does prove the Barnum quote, "There's a sucka born every minute." And many seem to be bookers on cable news TV.

Vote 4 change. Vote 4 anything. See Jack & Mr Shy's first campaign ad for the ONLY viable 3rd party candidate.

Well, never mind about the

Well, never mind about the hip hop professor..  what the heck does "heavily calculated" mean?  I feel so out of it!

I've seen this guy on FNC

I've seen this guy on FNC and you can pretty much predict his answers to any question. They're all liberal boiler-plate stuff. I'm not surprised he's concerned about a teen-ager's love for Jesus.

It's as a professor at my local seminary said, Everybody's ok with God, but this Jesus guy? He's in your face. People dont like that.

There is none so blind as they that won’t see. Jonathan Swift 1667-1745

Off topic a little, but

This makes perfect sense.  Obama is under fire for the Rev. Wright issue so let's talk about a 15 year old white girl that loves Jesus and have some guy (a professor) tell us he is "freaked out" by it.  

Off topic  (yet still speaking of religious/race issues), has anyone in the DC area ever listened to a guy named Reverend C. Miles?  He was on an AM station in the 90's.  He referred to white people as "Bo-Bo" and claimed that they (we) were all "white devils" ( "Dr." Farrakhan - someone stole your tag line about us white folk).  Anyways, I recall that many of his callers would tell stories of run-ins with Bo-Bo or even Bo-Bette (a female white devil, I guess) and the crux of every story was how they had to hold back from kicking Bo-Bo's or Bo-Bette's behind.  I do have specifics if anyone wants to "call me out" on it -- or perhaps some of you have heard the Revs show and know what I am talking about.  

Just rambling.

»→ Too funny kdizzy

And just now we have Obama on FOX delivering a speech on the economy.

He ain't wearing his American Flag lapel pin, but damn if he don't have lots of flags in the background.

I thought he wasn't into gratuitous shows of patriotism.

What a schmuck.

♣ a seal

Dr. Know-it-all

This big talking head definitely makes the rounds on TV. The grand Dr. Marc Lamont Hill,  Mr. intellectual Phd in anthropology. He knows what he is talking about!

This guy rattles (raps) off sentences so lightning fast you have to listen very carefully. He sounds like a double-talking auctioneer trying to peddle his bs, all the while keeping a straight face. It's like listening to comedian Robin Williams telling his jokes. Your scratching your head trying to catch the punch line on the last joke and he's on to the next one.

Take a few minutes and watch Hill next time you see him on a news channel. His favorite line "no, no, your taking the words out of context, you have to keep things in context." Thus the reason he's on the show, to interpret/translate and place everything in the proper context for us simple people. What would we do without him?

Typical liberal college professor that knows everything about anything. One cannot have a difference of opinion on any subject with this meathead. Hill believes he is right about every topic of discussion under the sun. It is impossible for anyone to educate him on anything period. He reminds me of Alan Colmes and Barak Obama, three peas in a pod. Just another arrogant liberal college professor that exudes narcissism, who by the way, would fit right in with Hollyweird.

I find myself in disagreement with Dr. Hill once again. He just seems to get everything backwards in my way of thinking. He is in total agreement with the great prophet Rev.Wright and dumps on the 15 year old kid Miley Cyrus.

 

Johnny poker face thinks

Johnny poker face thinks that by having an affirmative-action degree, speaking fast, and showing an intensely-laid-back demeanor, it somehow qualifies you as being an intellectual. 

sad

What message does this send to teens and young people across the country - if you profess your faith in a laid back interview, you'll end up getting blasted on CNN for it.

What business is it of his in the first place?