Drake and The Weeknd will both have their careers analyzed in a college course in their hometown. The Toronto-bred artists are the featured subjects of a new media course offered by author and professor Dalton Higgins at Ryerson University. The course, “RTA 950: Deconstructing Drake and The Weeknd” will be available for students during the 2022 winter term.
Higgins shared the news on social media, adding his reasonings for offering the course to students at the Canadian school. He has previously authored a book about the self-proclaimed “Six God,” Far From Over: The Music and Life of Drake, The Unofficial Story, and also works as a public relations strategist, journalist, and pop culture expert.
“Real talk, I’ve been lecturing about hip hop and popular culture at North American universities, – including all the local ones; University of Toronto, York University, etc.- for the last decade. When I wasn’t doing that, I was pushing Hip Hop Pedagogy in high schools, writing chapters and lesson plans for various hip hop textbooks,” he shared on Instagram.
He added, “Why Drake & The Weeknd one might ask? Well, there are great courses out there being taught about numerous rock, folk, and pop stars like Miley Cyrus, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga, so why not The Weeknd and Dizzy.
“Nevertheless, it’s time to get our Canadian rap & R&B icons recognized & canonized academically or otherwise. And it is CRITICAL for scholars, historians, to examine the Toronto music scene that birthed Drake/Weeknd and helped create the conditions for them to become mega-successful.”
The international success of both artists is undeniable. Both have recently made history and set records with their careers and continue to top the charts across hip-hop, R&B, and pop.
View the full Instagram announcement post below: