The Tucson Weekly published an interview with Religious Studies Professor Alex Nava, who will speak about the spiritual dimensions of hip-hop at the Tucson Hip Hop Festival on Saturday, Feb. 24. Both the College of Humanities and the Africana Studies Program are among the sponsors of the event. Jocelyn Valencia, the first graduate of the UA's minor in hip-hop cultures, is among the festival's organizers.
Nava's classes at the UA, especially "Rap, Culture and God," and his latest book, In Search of Soul: Hip-Hop, Literature and Religion, made him an ideal panelist for the festival.
"The topics of hip hop are profoundly relevant, and speak to a variety of interests, such as poetry, storytelling, social analysis and autobiographies," Nava told the Weekly.