Diderot and Dr. Dre? Schiller and Curse? Philipp H. Marquardt carries out an unusual comparison between the so-called epoch of the enlightenment and the popular culture of hip hop. For the first time he contrasts the celebrated texts of the 18th century with modern rap lyrics, in order to gain new perspectives for both fields, and to enable an evaluation of the prejudices surrounding the respective spheres of valorization of hip hop and the enlightenment. Through the confrontation of historically and culturally diverse phenomena, this innovative approach marks a new, exemplary method of comparison for literary studies.