This just in from New York Magazine’s compulsively entertaining Approval Matrix: next month the Yale University Press will release The Anthology of Rap, a compendium of rap lyrics edited by two English professors (Adam Bradley and Andrew DuBois) featuring a forward penned by Henry Louis Gates, eminent scholar and noted fan of Sam Adams Light.

One could be forgiven for thinking that the University Press, which typically publishes expensive, erudite texts like The American Department Store Transformed, 1920-1960, is trying to shed its staid reputation and obtain some street cred of its own. That said, with a blurb that reports that “rap has emerged as one of the most influential cultural forces of our time,” the Anthology of Rap sounds like a thoroughly self-serious project. In other words, expect a lot of socially conscious material and don’t be surprised if your favorite tracks from Doggystyle don’t make the cut.

In any case, I’m inclined to agree with the folks at NYMag, who rate the publication “Highbrow” and “Brilliant.” Study up, Yalies. Circa ’93 is only a day away.