American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer, Kanye West. Jeffrey McCune Jr. grew up with an appreciation for the rapper-turned-entrepreneur. Now, amid the recent controversies surrounding the rapper, this college professor sees value in launching another course on Ye.

Alsalman, commonly known as rapper Narcy, is currently teaching a college course called “Kanye vs. Ye: Genius by Design” at Concordia University in Montreal. He was hoping to excite young students by diving deeper into the influence that Ye has had on the culture. “Ye’s journey and narrative touched and touch on colonialism, capitalism, race studies, social science, media studies, design, and fashion,” Alsalman told Complex via email. “His impact on youth culture and multiple generations is undeniable, and his public moments represent a lot of larger issues,” according to Complex.

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Whether we realize it or not, we all have studied Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. He’s been at the center of pop culture since the early 2000s. Alsalman previously spoke to Complex for our 20th-anniversary issue where we examined the multi-hyphenate’s impact on pop culture and he spoke on Ye’s commitment to challenging the status quo. “Kanye’s biggest contribution to culture is his ability to challenge the status quo of America while wanting to be the status quo at the same time,” Alsalman said. Because of that, longtime Ye fans are no strangers to controversy. Since the start of his career, Ye has used his platform and his voice to speak out on various issues he felt strongly about. From his gripes with award shows to George W. Bush and Hurricane Katrina, the rapper has never shied away from speaking his mind—no matter the criticism or consequences that followed.

McCune, an associate professor of African and African American studies at the University of Rochester, hopes to launch his third class on Ye focusing on the rapper’s artistry, influence and political views as a way to teach complex topics to college students. He taught his first two Ye-inspired courses, titled The Politics of Kanye West: Black Genius and Sonic Aesthetics, at Washington University in St. Louis starting in 2017. Those classes — which covered everything from Black culture to capitalism to mental health — went on hiatus due to the pandemic. McCune now wants to launch another Ye course — but this time at the University of Rochester — which he said will help to counter the rapper’s anti-Black rhetoric.

“As a cultural critic, as a public intellectual, as a steward of my community, I have to believe that it’s important for me as a professor to counter the messages that Kanye is now advancing, using Christianity as the bedrock for it,” McCune, 44, said. “As an educator, as an intellectual, as a scholar, it will be irresponsible for me to just do away with him, knowing the kinds of impacts and effects his work and his weight could have.”

McCune said his new Ye course will have the same structure as his first, delving into the rapper’s political views and his evolution in politics from his dislike of President George Bush to his love of President Donald Trump. But unlike his previous ones, this class will be divided into three parts, “the old Kanye, the new Kanye, and the who Kanye,” and examine Ye’s recent behavior. McCune said his class will not shy away from Ye’s past or recent controversies, which include wearing a “White Lives Matter” shirt during Paris Fashion Week, making antisemetic statements on social media, and ​​falsely suggesting in a since-removed “Drink Champs” interview that George Floyd died of fentanyl use and not at the hands of a Minnesota police officer. Instead, the professor sees Ye’s erratic behavior as an entry point into exploring white evangelical Christianity in Black culture and how it can foster anti-Blackness, per NBC News.

“Even though Kanye may not be conscious of how he’s dancing between these two worlds, it is clear in his move to Christianity … that he’s choosing a very ugly strain of white evangelical Christianity that continuously believes that Christ is a policing white man, who does not in fact revere Blackness,” McCune said, citing the evolution of Ye’s music, which began in secular hip-hop and later transitioned into gospel music.

He was also temporarily restricted on Instagram and Twitter for hate speech and tweeting he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people.” His anti-Semitic remarks caused a domino effect for him and his businesses like never before. While the Floyd comments led to a pending lawsuit, his anti-Semitic comments have alienated a portion of his fanbase while also causing companies and celebrities, including Kim and Khloé Kardashian, to take a public stand denouncing anti-Semitism. Other celebrities like Jessica Seinfeld, Jerry Seinfeld’s wife, took it a step further creating petitions asking Adidas to end its partnership with the rapper; the company later did. Other companies like Balenciaga, Gap, Foot Locker, Peloton, and TJ Maxx also distanced themselves from the rapper, announcing that they were cutting ties with Ye and his Yeezy brand.

While Alsalman acknowledges how painful and disappointing Ye’s recent messaging has been, he believes the media is also to blame. “In the current climate of the world, we should be looking to have constructive conversations around change and lead with love,” Alsalman explains. “I also question the intention of Tucker Carlson and [Chris] Cuomo. Why would you even take this opportunity besides them being an opportunity? They don’t care about Ye or about the communities affected by any of his statements over the last couple of years.”

“We are not having the conversation about celebrity and industry and the dangers of both on our society and children,” he added. “We place too much emphasis on famous people and entertainment to discern the difference between the consumption of it and the aftereffects. We need to start having a conversation about idolatry, mass marketing, and how it’s affecting our youth.”

Ye has since shared a form of an apology to “the Jewish people that I hurt.” Still, his streaming numbers have reportedly taken a hit, and Forbes estimates that his net worth dropped from over a billion to $400 million in the aftermath. So is the damage done irreparable? Complex reached out to Alsalman as someone who has followed Ye’s career intensely and he shared his thoughts on where Ye’s recent remarks leave him, why companies are severing ties with the rapper now, as well as the status of his Concordia University course.

“The course has never, ever been about Kanye,” McCune said. “He is the draw. But I, in this course, draw out the significance of Black celebrity to Black life, and for me, that continues with the person who is driving anti-Blackness into the public. I can’t ignore that.”

McCune said his first two courses were a hit among students, bringing in hundreds from various backgrounds. While he’s confident he can do the same with his new class, he admitted that there’s been negative feedback from critics through hateful emails and social media questioning its purpose and why such a course is needed. McCune said courses on celebrities like Ye, Nicki Minaj and Drake are needed because they help make subjects like political science, history and sociology more relatable to students.

Following some of the early criticism in 2017, McCune made a video response, explaining why these types of courses were so important. In order to get students to understand the full picture, “we have to use things that the students are listening to and are digesting every day,” he told NBC News, before adding that by teaching this course, he’s going against the narrative that only certain Black figures are worthy of academic courses.

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Sources: Complex, NBC News