Under Discussion

French rapper Webster provides feedback to students in the CMU French class he visited earlier this year. Students 'down' to learn French culture Journal publishes faculty member's paper analyzing French rapper By Melissa Beauchamp Associate Professor of French Amy Ransom adopts a nontraditional approach to invoke students' interests in French language and culture. "I could lecture on and on about poetry or the French language, and people would fall asleep," says Ransom, who teaches in the foreign languages, literatures and cultures department. Instead, Ransom teaches about something she also has found intriguing: French rap. "Rap is a literary movement," Ransom says. "Students can learn so much about the foreign language and culture. Rap is something that students want to learn ... it's engrained in their culture." A French rap artist's hip-hop movement It all started in early 2013 when Ransom researched Quebec hip-hop and stumbled upon French rapper Webster. He sparked 10 Winter 2014 | Under Discussion Ransom's interest and came to campus and led workshops and entertained students with his music. As a pioneer in Quebec City's hip-hop movement, Webster's music is an integration of history, social issues and Quebec culture. Ransom recently was published in the American Review of Canadian Studies for analyzing Webster's song, "Quebec History X." The song suggests that although there were historical incidents of racial oppression and conflict, Quebecois society is moving toward revealing its past to enlighten the present. In addition, Ransom is writing a piece from an inperson interview with Webster, which is expected to be published in the academic journal Quebec Studies. Through his music, the underground celebrity speaks about hip-hop influences on youth and the multicultural issues in Quebec City where, according to Webster, blacks are socially invisible. "He's really a hip-hop historian," Ransom says. "He is proud of his origin and brings to light a lot of social issues."  Webster started rapping in 1995 in English but transitioned to French about four years ago. This gives him an extended vocabulary and creates a different experience away from the traditional English rap. Webster was brought to campus by the foreign languages, literatures and cultures department and sponsored by the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences. •

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