DECATUR, Ill. -- Millikin University alumnus and Decatur native A.D. Carson continues to reshape the boundaries of scholarship, art, and storytelling with the release of his new book, “Dope”, a genre-defying work that blends memoir, theory, and hip-hop into an intellectual and creative statement.
Carson, an Associate Professor of Hip-Hop at the University of Virginia, is recognized as the nation’s only tenured hip-hop professor and has built a national reputation for using rap as a legitimate and rigorous form of scholarly inquiry. “Dope” extends that work, offering readers a bold exploration of identity, power, history, and creativity through a structure that mirrors a mixtape as much as a traditional book.
Published by Oxford University Press in December, “Dope” challenges conventional ideas about academic writing by placing lyrics alongside poetry, reflective prose, and critical analysis. The book examines hip-hop not simply as a subject of study, but as a method of theorizing and understanding the world, rooted in Black experiences in the U.S. and shaped by histories of resistance, creativity, and survival.
Carson’s work has recently gained national attention, with significant media outlets highlighting the book’s innovative approach and cultural impact. In features with “Genius” and “HipHopSince1987,” Carson describes “Dope” as a refusal to dilute hip-hop scholarship for comfort, instead presenting rap “in its purest form” as a source of knowledge, critique, and artistic power.
In addition to the book’s release, Carson continues to bring his scholarship to the stage. Recent live performances have blended music, theory, and storytelling to reinforce the central themes of “Dope” and underscore his ability to engage audiences as both a performer and a scholar.
“Dope” joins a body of work that includes Carson’s peer-reviewed rap albums and his widely recognized dissertation project, “Owning My Masters,” further cementing his role as a leading voice in hip-hop studies and contemporary scholarship.
