A series of deep dives into six hip-hop masterpieces, by artists including Run DMC and Kendrick Lamar, begins with industry legends deconstructing West’s gospel-rap hit Jesus Walks
There’s been frequent occasion in recent years to remind ourselves why Kanye West – rapper, sometime Trump supporter and occasional reality TV star – was once taken seriously. It is, of course, because of his music, and work such as Jesus Walks. This gospel-elevated, soul-searching single from his debut album The College Dropout has been selected as the first song to warrant a deep dive in Hip Hop: The Songs That Shook America (BBC Four) a new six-part series that originally aired on the AMC network in the US.
Since each episode focuses on a different song and artist, they might have been ordered chronologically by release date (future programmes will feature 1984’s Rock Box by Run DMC and Kendrick Lamar’s Alright from 2015). The fact that they haven’t suggests a pleasingly idiosyncratic approach. The series’ illustrious roster of exec producers, including Questlove from the Roots and doc-making royalty Alex Gibney, is also promising. But then overhyped collabs are part and parcel of hip-hop marketing. It’s the challenge of this series to prove that, at least in some cases, all that hot air is justified.
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