Q-Tip to co-teach jazz and hip-hop course at NYU

April 9 (UPI) -- Q-Tip of a Tribe Called Quest fame is set to co-teach a course that explores the connection between hip-hop and jazz at New York University.

The rapper will be joined by Grammy-winning journalist, producer, and writer Ashley Kahn to teach the course starting on Sept. 5 as part of NYU's Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music in the Tisch School of the Arts.

The course will cover the historical relationship between jazz and hip-hop and examine musical artists including The Last Poets, Stetsasonic, A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy, The Roots, Lauryn Hill and Kendrick Lamar.

Each class session will be divided into two segments that include focused reading, viewing and listening assignments followed by performance, composition and production assignments under Q-Tip's mentorship as students produce their own original music.

"I couldn't be more excited to share with the students what I know and I look forward to them also teaching me. Teaching is an exchange of sharing and receiving for all involved," Q-Tip said in a statement.

"In searching for instructors to teach in our program, our aim is to always bring top-flight working professionals to the classroom who have made a major impact in their fields. That's why we're so excited to welcome Q-Tip, since he's a peerless icon who redefined hip-hop for generations to come and brought jazz to the genre, especially through his contribution with A Tribe Called Quest," said associate professor and director of Writing, History & Emergent Media Studies at the Clive Davis Institute Jason King. "He also has a natural instinct for teaching and cultivating excellence in students in terms of their focus on craft and expressive style. It's going to be transformative to have him on board."