In one of the best moves they've made since inviting Lil B to stop by, Billboard reports that NYU has hired ?uestlove to co-teach a course titled "Classic Albums". He'll join Grammy winning producer Harry Weinger this spring to teach the course at the Clive Davis Institute for Recorded Music at NYU's Tisch School of the Art.
The course will include lectures on albums such as Sly & The Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin' On, Aretha Franklin's Lady Soul, Led Zeppelin's IV, Prince's Dirty Mind, Michael Jackson's Off the Wall, and the Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique.
They'll also cover what constitutes a "classic" or "seminal" album, looking at the music, lyrics, production, and business behind great albums.
Billboard reports that the course was inspired by an NPR blog post over the summer where an intern reviewed Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back, an album he'd never heard before. ?uestlove responded to the dismissive review in the comments, prompting NYU's Jason King to invite ?uestlove and Weinger to teach the course.
Check out ?uestlove's interview where he talks about his favorite concept albums, including the Beach Boys' SMiLE, Marvin Gaye's Here, My Dear, and De La Soul's De La Soul Is Dead.
Here's the video for the Roots' "Tip the Scale" from their last album, undun:
