Hip-hop has always been about a message. In 1992, Arrested Development preached about the importance of knowledge and unity. In 1993, Tupac Shakur rapped about keeping your head up when times are tough. In 2000, Dead Prez schooled us on propaganda and reading between the lines. And finally in 2004, with the creation of Hip-Hop University, the relationship between hip-hop and knowledge became formalized.

And it happened in our own backyard.

San Francisco State student Pete Griffin created the public access television show "Hip-Hop University" because he wanted to educate urban youth about important issues in society.

“I felt that the hip-hop generation didn’t really understand and didn’t really care about what was going on around them when it came to current events,” the husky 22-year-old marketing major says. “We don’t find [shows like] 'Nightline' very appealing because they don’t relate to us.”

And so, in an effort to make news appealing, a show was born. Think of Mike Wallace in "60 Minutes," only hip-hop style. “Cousin Pete” is the host and the topics are called “the Fix.” Anything from AIDS in Africa to minority enrollment in college fill the program’s agenda.

But Griffin knows that in order for people to pay attention, they need to be entertained. That’s where the hip-hop comes in. The show promises exclusive interviews with popular artists, the latest hip-hop music videos, concert footage and breaking hip-hop news. Past artists on the show include The Federation, Mistah F.A.B., Jurassic 5, Special Ed and Keyshia Cole.

“I get an artist on the show through networking. When I interview an artist, I get other artists’ numbers through them,” Griffin says as he edits footage for the show on his home computer. “And I have good follow-up skills. When we do the show, I send them a copy and they’re happy about it, so they refer other people to us. That’s where my business skills come into play.”

Griffin says he got the initial contacts from searches on the Internet. Once he finds the artist's Web site, he shoots them an e-mail. Most of the time, they are excited to be on the show.

He explains that the Bay Area is the perfect place to have the show because its hip-hop is different from the rest of the country. “What’s unique about our hip-hop is that it talks about the politics of what’s going on in America, and our artists are more seasoned because of the diversity of the Bay Area," he says. "Our show exemplifies that diversity."

The weekly show is run by a intimate group of five SF State students, who spend 12 to 15 hours per week taping, editing and producing the program. “It looks like there is a big crew that puts on the show, but really there is just a core group of us that work really hard,” says editor Devon Lee, 24.

Baris Ozer, a 22-year-old BECA major, is also part of the show’s faculty. He thinks the program is important for more than just urban youth. “Hip-hop is not just about smoking, drinkin’ and taking ecstasy pills,” he says. “That’s a stereotype. We need to educate people who are not into the music, so they can forget about those stereotypes and see the positive movement behind hip-hop.”

Najma Nuriddin, 21, first watched Hip-Hop University last summer. “I was really impressed because it’s really high quality, very professional, very structured and very informative,” says the communications major. “They talk about things like HIV in the black community, but it's not corny and still relates to hip hop.”

Griffin envisions the show making it big in the future. “We’re looking to get picked up by a major network,” he says. “But whatever happens, we’re still gonna keep that Bay Area flava.”