The heart of campus beat to a different rhythm today when students stopped by the Alumni Park fountain to immerse themselves in sounds and stories of hip hop history.
For his capstone project through the public diplomacy master’s program, Spencer Cline covered over 50 years of the hip hop genre and its origins in South Los Angeles and broader L.A.
According to Cline, the public diplomacy curriculum focuses on “how state and non-state actors interact with people who live in other countries,” and an effective way to do this is through cultural exhibits.
He mentioned that museums in places like L.A. or New York dedicate exhibits to cultures outside of the U.S. because it gives people a chance to learn about experiences that may be foreign to them.
“What I wanted to replicate is having an audio exhibit dedicated to a culture in South Central Los Angeles, which is not really showcased here specifically in a place like USC and academia,” Cline said.
Spectators were greeted with framed posters of influential artists — like Ice Cube, N.W.A., Tupac, Nipsey Hussle, Kendrick Lamar, Tyler the Creator and Doja Cat — in chronological order of their prime within the genre.
Exhibit attendees scanned QR codes to hear the curated audio with Cline’s narration, archival artist interviews and hit songs.
“I am a fan of almost every one of them,” said Kaustubh Rai, a computer science master’s student. “I thought it was just a display, but then when I started listening to them … the explanation was so good, and the background music of the artists takes you back to the old songs that you may have forgotten. It was literally remembering back everything I’ve heard.”
Cline himself held a similar sense of nostalgia when choosing a subject for his capstone. He cycled through a few topics, but ultimately settled on hip hop because of his secret love for the genre throughout his childhood.
“I wasn’t allowed to listen to rap and hip hop as a kid because my parents were like, ‘No, it’s degrading music,’” Cline said. “So, we always went towards gospel, but I would always find a way to sneak rapping in my life. I would rename songs on my iPod as gospel songs, but they were actually like 50 Cent and Jay-Z.”
As a radio producer at Annenberg Media, Cline understands the effectiveness of audio storytelling. This is not the first time he blended his passion for music with the skills he’s learned in the public diplomacy program.
“He’s been able to translate his love of music and his apparent capacity in music into the work that we do in class, and apply it to different concepts in public diplomacy in terms of international exchanges and other types of programs,” said Robert Banks, the Clinical Associate Professor of Public Diplomacy. “You know, we get a lot of students that do research papers … but this is a true capstone in the sense that he’s bringing forth a major public-facing exhibit.”
Yara Alas, another public diplomacy graduate student, carved out the time to visit the exhibit before a meeting.
“It’s really rewarding just to see all his efforts come to fruition in one event,” Alas said. “I know he’s very interested in hip hop culture, and he’s mentioned that before in various classes, so it’s fun to see this concise experience.”
While USC campus life is often equated to “living in a bubble,” this project allowed students an accessible opportunity to glimpse into the South Central community culture. According to former USC student Erica Johnson, it’s important, especially at a predominantly white institution, to educate people about what the history of this place is.
“Even though SC is this big conglomerate in the middle of South Central,” Johnson said. “South Central has a lot of Black and brown people … who have contributed to the culture and contributed to what Los Angeles is, what hip hop is, and what R&B is.”
Johnson added that she appreciated the strategic placement of the exhibit, as a culmination of people to people connections.
“You’re bringing Black people to this white space. Smack dab in the middle of campus for people to not ignore. They have to come by, they have to see this,” Johnson said.
This project is Cline’s last before he graduates with his master’s degree in May. He hopes to work for a publication or radio station as an audio journalist or producer after graduation. After a few years of work, he wants to become a foreign affairs journalist for Voice of America.
“It feels bittersweet,” Cline said. “This is a really nice school, [with] really intelligent, smart faculty and some of the best people I ever met. But I’m done with school. Eight years of schooling, and I’m ready to get out into the real world.”