Podcast - 09
November 24, 2025
In All Things: Dr. Lavar Pope: The B-Side: Music, Power, and Political Change Making - Episode - 09
SUMMARY: Dr. Lavar Pope, Clinical Professor of Political Science at Arrupe College, is a scholar and DJ who explores the political power and migration patterns of rap, the prophetic voices rising from local music scenes, and the deep connections between social justice and community storytelling.
Presenter: Lavar Pope, PhD, Clinical Professor of Political Science, Arrupe College
Biography
Lavar Pope is the author of Rap and Politics: A Case Study of Panther, Gangster, and Hyphy Discourses in Oakland, CA (1965–2010) (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020) and American Rap Scenes: An Analysis of 25 Locations (Bloomsbury, 2025). His work has been reviewed in Perspectives on Politics and the National Review of Black Politics, and he has contributed reviews to the Journal of Popular Culture and Popular Music. His research combines ethnographic and participant-observer methods to examine U.S. popular music and its relationship to geography, migration, identity-based social movements, and technology. A first-generation student-athlete and scholar from Lake County, Illinois, he earned a B.A. and M.A. from Lehigh University and a Ph.D. in Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Since 2017, he has taught Political Science at Loyola University Chicago’s Arrupe College, where he advises students, leads service initiatives, and was promoted to Full Clinical Professor in 2024.
November 24, 2025
In All Things: Dr. Lavar Pope: The B-Side: Music, Power, and Political Change Making - Episode - 09
SUMMARY: Dr. Lavar Pope, Clinical Professor of Political Science at Arrupe College, is a scholar and DJ who explores the political power and migration patterns of rap, the prophetic voices rising from local music scenes, and the deep connections between social justice and community storytelling.
Presenter: Lavar Pope, PhD, Clinical Professor of Political Science, Arrupe College
Biography
Lavar Pope is the author of Rap and Politics: A Case Study of Panther, Gangster, and Hyphy Discourses in Oakland, CA (1965–2010) (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020) and American Rap Scenes: An Analysis of 25 Locations (Bloomsbury, 2025). His work has been reviewed in Perspectives on Politics and the National Review of Black Politics, and he has contributed reviews to the Journal of Popular Culture and Popular Music. His research combines ethnographic and participant-observer methods to examine U.S. popular music and its relationship to geography, migration, identity-based social movements, and technology. A first-generation student-athlete and scholar from Lake County, Illinois, he earned a B.A. and M.A. from Lehigh University and a Ph.D. in Politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Since 2017, he has taught Political Science at Loyola University Chicago’s Arrupe College, where he advises students, leads service initiatives, and was promoted to Full Clinical Professor in 2024.