Hip-hop based education

Hip-hop based education (HHBE) refers to the use of hip-hop, especially rap songs and lyrics, as curricular resources. While the scholarly academy continues to research its effectiveness it is realized that not all of hip-hop culture can be suitable for classroom use, but many of its elements are worth exploring.

Integrating hip-hop into academic curriculum gives youth more interest in education and promotes literacy. Literacy itself is an intervention to high school drop out rates, teen pregnancy, and other social ills. HHBE advocates believe that hip-hop can be used in classrooms to inspire youth to be agents of social and political.[1] Despite hip-hop's origin in the South Bronx, hip hop culture has spread to both urban and suburban communities throughout the world.[2] Bringing hip-hop in to educational environment to connect with today's youth is becoming a popular approach that some teachers are deciding to take.[3]

Components of hip-hop

A b-boy performing a head-hollowback in Union Square.

Hip hop began in South Bronx, New York City amongst black and Latino youth during the 1970'S. It includes four main aspects: DJing, MCing, Graffiti, and Breaking. Historically hip-hop has been used as an artistic form of self-expression.[4] Although it can be used utilized in many forms each form of expression are foundations of the community and provide stability and coherence to the culture.[5] While often used to refer to rapping, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture.[6] [7]

HHBE programs

The Hip-hop Education Guidebook

Marcella Runell and Martha Diaz created a collection of resources that educators can use to integrate hip-hop into their classroom curriculum. They collectively started an online community where educators can share what they are doing with hip-hop in the classrooms. This resulted in The Hip-Hop Education Guidebook: Volume 1, a comprehensive collection of lesson plans. The lessons include subjects such as mathematics, science, social justice, literacy, and language arts. The education guide introduces teachers to the many ways that hip-hop education can be used in the classroom and it also validated teachers who had previously implemented hip-hop into their curriculum. These educational are targeted towards ages 5–12 and have been used by teachers across the country. Hip-Hop Association published the work and Runell stated that the response has been "tremendous."[8]

Hip-hop Educational Literacy Program (H.E.L.P)

Asheru, born Gabriel Benn, director of Arts in Education at a D.C. based special education school with the help of Rick Henning launched the H.E.L.P program. It's a monthly periodical and reading supplement designed by teachers and curriculum writers to combine hip-hop music with literacy instruction. Songs for the periodical are chosen based on three criteria, the first being "the song must be socially redeeming or otherwise significant themes addressed in the songs lyrical content, followed by rich vocabulary use, and lastly the song must be performed by a popular artist.[8]

Trials of a Hip-hop Educator

In 2007 Tony Muhammad started a popular Myspace blog titled "Trials of a Hip-hop Educator". Teachers who were implementing hip-hop into their classrooms could go to this blog and share their struggles with each other.

Hip Hop Schoolhouse

Hip-hop artist Common, with the help of his mother, Dr. Mahalia Hines, developed a self-help hip-hop series of three books—all written by Common—that were released under the company name Hip Hop Schoolhouse. Dr. Hines, with the help of her education colleagues has also created lesson plans and units on how to teach the series to youth. Each book also includes a hip-hip vocabulary dictionary in the back for teachers who are not familiar with hip-hop language.

Hip Hop 101

Hip-hop educator and artist Professor A.L.I. currently teaches a University of California approved Hip-Hop History course entitled "Beats, Rhymes and Life: Hip Hop History 101" as part of the Blend-Ed Consortium of schools (The Athenian School, College Preparatory School, Lick-Wilmerding, Urban School, and Marin Academy) in which his "XFactor' Album is an integrated part of the curriculum, using, as he states, "Hip-Hop to teach Hip-Hop".[9]

Hip Hop Saves Lives

Artist & educator Chad Harper founded Hip Hop Saves Lives[10] as an extra-curricular workshop for youths in schools across New York City. The students write and record a song about a humanitarian "hero" of their choosing; they then film a music video and send it to their hero. One such "hero" was Desmond Tutu.[11]

International

Germany

Chemnitz Germany hosted the first international "Hip-hop Meets Academia" conference in August 2006.

Collegiate implementation

Howard University

HBCU, Howard University hosted a panel in 2006 to discuss the option of creating a hip-hop studies minor within the upcoming years. Intellectuals discuss creating a hip-hop minor

University of Arizona

In 2012, University of Arizona announced the United States' first degree designation around the hip-hop genre. They offer a hip-hop culture minor under the Africana Studies’ department. The program is already underway and will offer an in-depth look at how hip-hop has influenced the American culture in different aspects ranging from hairstyles, graffiti, advertising, and sexuality. University of Arizona hip-hop minor

Cornell University

In 2012, Cornell University announced the appointment of DJ Afrika Bambaataa as a visiting scholar for a three-year term. This is the first ever faculty appointment for a hip hop pioneer and legend at a major university. He will meet with classes, talk to student and community groups, and perform for several days throughout the year.

Cornell University Library is the home of the largest national archive on hip hop culture, documenting its birth and growth by preserving thousands of recordings, flyers, photographs, and other artifacts. Cornell University Hip-hop Library

University of Wisconsin-Madison

UW-Madison offers First Wave Program, which is the first university program in the country centered on urban arts, spoken word and hip-hop culture. The programs offers full-tuition to its members.

Outcomes

Negative

The current literature situates HHBE almost exclusively in the urban classroom, commonly understood as educational spaces that cater to "at-risk" youth.[3] The conception of the urban classroom context fails to account for the diversity of teachers, students, and outcomes that may be associated with HHBE.[3]

There is a lot of research covering HHBE. One downfall is that the research does not reach a variety of K-12 teachers who employ this strategy and are not a part of the teacher-researcher information that has been compiled.[3]

Positive

KRS-One performing in Vooruit, Ghent.

The question has been asked, "Why in a world where hip-hop has become such a pivotal force in the lives of youth, aren't educators using hip-hop to help youth make sense of and change their worlds?" The implementation of hip-hop into curriculum promotes cultural relevance to youth of color, affirmation of urban identities, and deeper learning through connection with something relevant to youth.[12]

Integrating hip-hop into academic curriculum gives youth more interest in education and promotes literacy. Literacy itself is an intervention to high school drop out rates, teen pregnancy, and other social ills.[13]

MC and philosopher KRS-One released a song titled "You Must Learn" in 1989. In this song he touches on how he believes that hip-hop culture could enrich classrooms with more truth. Some of the lyrics are as follows:

I believe that if you’re teaching history

Filled with straight up facts no mystery

Teach the student what needs to be taught

Cause Black and White kids both take shorts

When one doesn’t know about the other ones’ culture

Ignorance swoops down like a vulture[14]

References

  1. ↑ Morrell, Ernest. "Toward A Critical Pedagogy Of Popular Culture: Literacy Development Among Urban Youth." Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 1 (2002): 72. JSTOR Arts & Sciences VI. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
  2. ↑ ^ Rosen, Jody (2006-02-12). "A Rolling Shout-Out to Hip-Hop History". The New York Times. p. 32. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Irby, Decoteau J.; Hall, H. Bernard. "Fresh Faces, New Places: Moving Beyond Teacher-Researcher Perspectives In Hip-Hop-Based Education Research." Urban Education 46.2 (2011): 216-240. Academic Search Complete. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
  4. ↑ Schloss, Joseph G. Foundation: B-boys, B-girls and Hip-Hop Culture in New York. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009, 125.
  5. ↑ Jump up to: a b Chang, Jeff; DJ Kool Herc (2005). Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation. Macmillan. ISBN 0-312-30143-X.
  6. ↑ ^ Harvard Dictionary of Music article for hip hop, retrieved from Google Books: While often used to refer to rap music, hip hop more properly denotes the practice of entire subculture
  7. ↑ Jump up ^ AllMusic article for Hip-hop/Urban, retrieved from AllMusic.com[dead link]: Hip-Hop is the catch-all term for rap and the culture it spawned.
  8. 1 2 Kirkland, David E. "“You Must Learn”: Promoting Hip-Hop Education." Youth Media Reporter 2.1-6 (2008): 42-46. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
  9. ↑ BlendedConsortium.org 26 November 2014 (accessed 21 December 2014)
  10. ↑ http://www.hiphopsaveslives.org/
  11. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c495qvPCTkQ
  12. ↑ Kirkland, David E. "“You Must Learn”: Promoting Hip-Hop Education." Youth Media Reporter 2.1-6 (2008): 42-46. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
  13. ↑ ^ Morrell, Ernest. "Toward A Critical Pedagogy Of Popular Culture: Literacy Development Among Urban Youth." Journal Of Adolescent & Adult Literacy 1 (2002): 72. JSTOR Arts & Sciences VI. Web. 19 Nov. 2013.
  14. ↑ "You Must Learn" MetroLyrics. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.
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