Afrofuturist Intellectual Mixtapes: A Classroom Case Study

This article is a classroom case study of the Intellectual Mixtape Project, an AudioVisual digital humanities module. The intellectual mixtape uses jazz and hip hop as a framework to create an audio compilation and “conversation” that samples literary-audio texts (such as SunRa speeches, Octavia Butler interviews, Tracy K. Smith’s poetry readings, etc.). Each track of the intellectual mixtape has three audios: 1) the literary-audio texts from the syllabus, 2) the students’ voice in their own words, and 3) an audio of the students’ choice. As a companion to each track, students write 500 words of liner notes that must include the title of their track and their curation and mixing decisions.Students then publish their entire intellectual mixtape (three or more tracks) with original or remixed cover art on an online platform. The first part of the study will discuss the structure of the intellectual mixtape assignments. In these assignments, students are provided with literary-audio texts, required to complete and submit audio homework assignments, and taught the basics of audio editing. This method of teaching and analyzing literature shifts the practice of literary analysis from top down approaches that privileges the authority of the text and instead encourages the student to converse with the text to create new knowledge. This methods also reflects the artistic practice of Afrofuturist artists and theorist who improvise, remix, and sample to create their work. The second part of the study will discuss a performance and midterm adaptation of the Intellectual Mixtape Project entitled Sound of Space: An Interactive Afrofuturist Experience. Sound of Space was an immersive performance with four-sensory stations that featured Afrofuturist themes. The midterm adaptation was showcased in the Cube, a four-story high, state-of-the-art multimedia black box theater at Virginia Tech. In preparation for the performance, students merged sound engineering, 360 degree-video-projection, improvisational performance, and light design. Sound of Space introduced students and audiences’ to an immersive Afrofuturist-audio experience and pushed the boundaries of literary analysis. The third part of the study will address challenges with the Intellectual Mixtape Project. Challenges include finding relevant literary-audio texts and dealing with the many limitations imposed by U.S. copyright law. Some ways to address the challenges imposed by U.S. copyright law might be to 1) reclassify sampling audio as a form of quotation, 2) use databases of copyright-free music, 3) find culturally significant works from lesser-known artists who will license their tracks, and/or 4) pay royalties.