Dr. Marcus Collins

People know that intuitively. But what can I bring to the discourse that's unique? And I thought about it for a while, and it dawned on me sort of serendipitously that those early scholars of sociology, which is where most of my academic repertoire sort of sits, that those early scholars of sociology, they studied – culture by observing religion. And I go, Oh dude, I'm a church boy.

People know that intuitively. But what can I bring to the discourse that's unique? And I thought about it for a while, and it dawned on me sort of serendipitously that those early scholars of sociology, which is where most of my academic repertoire sort of sits, that those early scholars of sociology, they studied – culture by observing religion. And I go, Oh dude, I'm a church boy.

People know that intuitively. But what can I bring to the discourse that's unique? And I thought about it for a while, and it dawned on me sort of serendipitously that those early scholars of sociology, which is where most of my academic repertoire sort of sits, that those early scholars of sociology, they studied – culture by observing religion. And I go, Oh dude, I'm a church boy.

Like I could, that's a perspective I can have, you know? And as a marketer, I realized that we spend so much of our lexicon actually comes from the theology. We say, you know, we need people to evangelize the brand. We need people to convert over. It's like, Oh, this, this is all theological nomenclature that is of the the theory that culture was studied.

Like I could, that's a perspective I can have, you know? And as a marketer, I realized that we spend so much of our lexicon actually comes from the theology. We say, you know, we need people to evangelize the brand. We need people to convert over. It's like, Oh, this, this is all theological nomenclature that is of the the theory that culture was studied.

Like I could, that's a perspective I can have, you know? And as a marketer, I realized that we spend so much of our lexicon actually comes from the theology. We say, you know, we need people to evangelize the brand. We need people to convert over. It's like, Oh, this, this is all theological nomenclature that is of the the theory that culture was studied.

And I happen to be a practitioner, so I could tell stories that I've actually done using this work. And it was like, for good measure, I'm a product of hip hop. I'm a hip hop fan. That is a culture to which I studied as a doctoral student and that I know as a fan. And it was really the intersection of all those cylindrical circles. That's the book I'm gonna write.

And I happen to be a practitioner, so I could tell stories that I've actually done using this work. And it was like, for good measure, I'm a product of hip hop. I'm a hip hop fan. That is a culture to which I studied as a doctoral student and that I know as a fan. And it was really the intersection of all those cylindrical circles. That's the book I'm gonna write.

And I happen to be a practitioner, so I could tell stories that I've actually done using this work. And it was like, for good measure, I'm a product of hip hop. I'm a hip hop fan. That is a culture to which I studied as a doctoral student and that I know as a fan. And it was really the intersection of all those cylindrical circles. That's the book I'm gonna write.

A book that interrogates culture through a sociological lens, framed through what we know of religion, theology, through a practitioner's lens with a hip-hop slant to it. That's the book.

A book that interrogates culture through a sociological lens, framed through what we know of religion, theology, through a practitioner's lens with a hip-hop slant to it. That's the book.

A book that interrogates culture through a sociological lens, framed through what we know of religion, theology, through a practitioner's lens with a hip-hop slant to it. That's the book.

Man, I literally was like, I have nothing else to say. Like there's, there's nothing else. Like get squeezing thing out of me. I've written down everything I thought I knew about this topic. And it wasn't that my understanding was shallow. It's just, I did not have a voice. to say it. I was regurgitating what the literature says as opposed to having a point of view.

Man, I literally was like, I have nothing else to say. Like there's, there's nothing else. Like get squeezing thing out of me. I've written down everything I thought I knew about this topic. And it wasn't that my understanding was shallow. It's just, I did not have a voice. to say it. I was regurgitating what the literature says as opposed to having a point of view.

Man, I literally was like, I have nothing else to say. Like there's, there's nothing else. Like get squeezing thing out of me. I've written down everything I thought I knew about this topic. And it wasn't that my understanding was shallow. It's just, I did not have a voice. to say it. I was regurgitating what the literature says as opposed to having a point of view.

And I think that that's been one of like the biggest learnings for me is that if we put things in the world, whether you write, you talk, you host a podcast, whatever the cultural production you create, it's not enough to just to create. You have to create with the point of view that you have on the world.

And I think that that's been one of like the biggest learnings for me is that if we put things in the world, whether you write, you talk, you host a podcast, whatever the cultural production you create, it's not enough to just to create. You have to create with the point of view that you have on the world.

And I think that that's been one of like the biggest learnings for me is that if we put things in the world, whether you write, you talk, you host a podcast, whatever the cultural production you create, it's not enough to just to create. You have to create with the point of view that you have on the world.

And it's that point of view that people go, oh, I see myself in it and realize that not everybody's going to like it either. And that's cool too. It ain't for everybody, you know? And the idea is that I write from a place that is vulnerable and that is honest and hopes that people see my humanity in it and they see their humanity as a result of it.

And it's that point of view that people go, oh, I see myself in it and realize that not everybody's going to like it either. And that's cool too. It ain't for everybody, you know? And the idea is that I write from a place that is vulnerable and that is honest and hopes that people see my humanity in it and they see their humanity as a result of it.