Last Thursday, hip-hop magnates Rev Run and Tyrese Gibson spoke about the complexity of relationships in an event sponsored by Barnes & Noble Johns Hopkins. The event was hosted in in Charles Commons, where the duo spoke about their newly released relationship guide, a book entitled Manology: Secrets of your Man’s Mind Revealed.
Approximately 340 people attended the event, which was both free and open to the public, according to Barnes & Noble Johns Hopkins’ events manager Neil Ferguson.
Carla Henry Hopkins, Director of Community Partnerships and Diversity Education at Hopkins, mediated the conversation. As she took her place before the audience, she enlivened an already noticeably excited crowd.
“It’s going to be ridiculous,” she said. “Is everyone here twenty-one? Because it may go there.”
Following these remarks, Rev Run and Tyrese Gibson took their seats while surrounded by grand cheers and applause from fans in the audience.
Rev Run, born Joseph Simmons, made his name as a founding member of his hip-hop group, Run-D.M.C., and, two decades later, through his hit show Run’s House, which aired for six seasons on MTV. Today, fans follow Run daily by reading his words of wisdom on Twitter.
Tyrese Gibson, a Grammy nominated R&B singer, has been involved in a number of areas in today’s entertainment including acting, television producing, and, now, writing.
Run and Gibson’s new book, Manology, was a collaborative effort that explores their conflicting views on marriage and relationships.
During their talk, Gibson told the story of how he met Run. Gibson read about fidelity in one of Run’s words of wisdom posts and felt compelled to respond. To his surprise, he heard back.
“Our first conversation ever was over four hours,” Gibson said. “I wouldn’t say it was an argument, but we just weren’t on the same page.”
Gibson went on to refer to their conversation as “straight up man talk.”
Despite their divergent viewpoints, both Run and Gibson saw an opportunity to open their debate to the public.
“We’re not purposely disagreeing because it’s a gimmick,” Gibson stated.
Although their views on marriage and relationships are opposite on paper, Run and Gibson agreed on a few points during the talk, such as the role of increasingly independent women in contemporary society.
On this topic, Run referenced both the Book of Ruth and Beyoncé to make his point.
“[In the Book of Ruth], she saw him, and he was fly, he was the king. He observed her on her grind; then he decided to marry her,” Run said. “Let’s take it back to Beyoncé... Jay liked Beyoncé on her grind when she was dancing. The key in modern day is that if you have your own love of self, then people want to be with you.”
Run concluded by noting that despite the advantages of independence, a healthy relationship must be based on balance.
“Beyoncé is the modern-day Book of Ruth,” he said. “A balanced life will close the deal.”
Gibson agreed. He noted that songs like Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” inspire women to be self-sufficient: a good thing, he said, but he urged the ladies in the audience to strike a balance.
“Don’t ‘independence’ your way to loneliness,” he advised.
Run and Gibson went on to cover a range of topics about the complexities of relationships. Following the talk, Run and Gibson held a book signing and a photo opportunity for those who had purchased books. Many members of the audience were eager to meet the stars.
“I’d say the audience was predominantly local [or] non-student,” Ferguson wrote in an email to The News-Letter. “As for advertising, we contacted the local press, posted the event on the bookstore and university websites, and used posters, banners and flyers.
