Taking it to the Streets: Seven Best Practices for Using Hip Hop in the ClassroomA White Paper by Brittney Feicht and Rachel DeAngelis

November 17, 2014

A History LessonAt its start, hip-hop was a culture that was at odds with the public

school system (or any government institution, for that matter). The hip-hop movement began in the late 1970’s as a reaction to extreme educational budget cuts affecting the size of the teacher workforce and extracurricular options (music education and arts education, to name a couple) available to public school students. New York City schools were no exception to these cuts, with South Bronx, a particularly poverty-stricken area of NYC, keenly feeling the hit. No longer able to play instruments at school and express their musical creativity, many South Bronx students turned to the only other musical object they had in their households: the turntables. Students took music that was pre-recorded and scratched it, remixed it, and rapped over it to express their opinions on everything, from the current state of the economy to domestic issues that they were facing in their own households. Hip hop was an outlet that gave these marginalized students a voice, creating a new culture in which the powerless were suddenly empowered to think, speak, and create what they were truly feeling.

Some of this stems from the issues of Civil Rights. Adolescents who felt rejected by the institutionalized society and the government turned to drugs, gangs, and violence as a mode of personal expression. From 1973 -1978, there were a record 30,000 fires set in the South Bronx, and 43,000 housing units were lost. Middle class families relocated out of the city to get away from the problems that were starting to become a frequent occurrence. Urban development was underway, such as the Cross Bronx Expressway which allowed these families easier passage in and out of the city; however, this development is also what destroyed so many homes and neighborhoods. All of these factors added up to economic downfall for African American youth, but also the birth of a new culture of music, art, and free expression.

For many youth, hip hop became a way to deal with these terrible circumstances that they were facing on a daily basis in their neighborhoods. Nearly forty years later, hip hop is still a movement that invites people from The Bronx and areas all over the world to tell their stories and work through the difficult situations that they face. By making creative decisions about music, lyrics, and artwork, youth are given the opportunity to self-reflect and develop their identities. They can use their music and their artwork to voice concerns about the issues in their community and even work through how to solve them.

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The Core Principles of Hip HopHip Hop began as a part of inner-city culture that was ignored and

even frowned upon. It began in the south and west parts of the Bronx, New York and has expanded to youth cultures around the world from Cuba, Africa and the UK to Japan, France, and Germany. This genre of music can be a mixture of elements from MC-ing and DJ-ing to a more artistic side of street art and graffiti to breakdancing.

Core elements of Hip Hop can include:1. MC - An artist who is committed to the mastery of lyrics and interacts

directly with the audience. They personally come up with lyrics that are ever evolving. They perfect their skills through free-styling and even “battling” against other MC’s.

2. DJ - Dating back to the 1960’s and early 70’s DJs began as an affordable alternative to a pricey disco. Early DJ’s invented the concept of scratching on vinyl records. This is a skill that adds to recorded music and fragments that are created can be re-played.

3. Breakdancing - Breakdancing groups developed along with the hip hop. Groups would battle each other and this type of dance became a staple with hip hop

4. Graffiti - Although it is considered an illegal activity, the development of graffiti should not be overlooked. Although graffiti started during pre-modern times, some of its roots developed with the hip hop culture. This was a way to reclaim public spaces and allowed for self-identification with inner-city youth.

5. Knowledge - This element is not often considered but it is the core element of hip hop. Knowledge is given through the lyrics of hip hop to empower and provide a voice to the artist.

Hip Hop and EducationMany teachers shy away from using hip hop music/culture in the

classroom--either because they are afraid it will be vulgar and inappropriate, or because they don’t see the value in it. An additional concern is not wanting to risk the chance of aggravating administrators or upsetting parents. But the truth is, there is a vibrant history to hip hop culture and a wealth of appropriate media out there that should be explored. More importantly, teachers who attempt to be culturally relevant while ignoring hip hop are doomed to remain irrelevant to a large proportion of their students. Recognizing hip hop as a culture, and not just a genre of music, is the first step toward discarding monoculturalism and embracing the diverse population of students that likely already exists in the classroom. Even if some students are unfamiliar with or hesitant to learn using hip hop, exploring this new culture within the safe confines of the classroom and with the guidance of the teacher may shed a new light on the diversity of their school population ,and it might even help them move beyond some stereotypes about hip hop culture that they may have been harboring.

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Should hip hop really become a staple of standard classroom curriculum? The short answer is “yes!” Hip Hop can and should be part of education for today’s adolescent kids. It is a way to teach students through Media Literacy. Hip Hop captures different representations of our world through an often critical lense. This lense allows students to see and think about different perceptions and perspectives that are current in society. Using hip hop music to teach helps to keep students engaged with instruction and it helps them to feel validated and valued in an environment where they may, ordinarily, feel marginalized. Ultimately, for some students, it means not having to shed who they really are.

Hip Hop education directly relates to the Common Core standards. Students are involved in a variety of ways in the classroom when working with Hip Hop. For example, analyzing lyrics involves strong comprehension skills and having a rich vocabulary. Take a look at just a few of the “Pennsylvania Common Core Standards” that can be met by teaching Hip Hop in the classroom.

CC.1.2.9–10.B - Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences and conclusions based on an author’s explicit assumptions and beliefs about a subject.

CC.1.2.8.C - Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions

between individuals, ideas, or events.

CC.1.2.9–10.F - Analyze how words and phrases shape meaning and tone in texts. CC.1.2.6.G - Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually,

quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue. CC.1.2.6.J - Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words

and phrases; gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

CC.1.2.8.G - Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.

CC.1.4.7.V -Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and investigation.

CC.1.4.8.U - Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and present the relationships between information and ideas efficiently as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

CC.1.3.7.B - Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly, as well as inferences, conclusions, and/or generalizations drawn from the text.

CC.1.3.7.A - Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text. *The standards listed above were taken directly from http://www.pdesas.org/standard/pacore

The Common Core standards listed above are only some of the standards from Grades 6-12 English Language Arts that can be incorporated in the classroom. However, teaching hip-hop can be cross-curricular and other subjects including History, Science and Technology classes can work hand-in-hand with English to really drive home certain songs and the corresponding lyrics.

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How Can Hip Hop Be Used in the Classroom?The lyrics lead to critical thinking, deep thought-provoking discussions, research projects, and in-depth essays in the classroom. Students can ultimately really learn to think about what they are hearing. Hip Hop can be used in the classroom to:

Help marginalized student groups feel empowered inside the classroom and validate their cultural values

Help students connect with classic literature and traditional subject matter Listen to/analyze hip hop as “literature” in its own right Help students write poetry or lyrics Prompt class discussions about controversial topics Connect with the students through real world/life situations and relate through culture Allow for discussions that challenge students’ perceptions and assumptions in positive, life-altering

ways

Teachers introducing hip hop culture into their curriculum for the first time should beware of using it for the sole purpose of critiquing it. Every culture has both good and bad elements; critically examining a culture only to exploit the negative aspects of it isn’t fair, and it will likely isolate many students who strongly identify with the hip hop movement.

Seven Best Practices for Using Hip Hop in the Classroom1. Teaching Multimodal Composing:

Hip-Hop & Shakespeare? http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDxAldeburgh-Akala-Hip-Hop-Sha

This TED Talk given by Akala from the Hip Hop Shakespeare Company (http://www.hiphopshakespeare.com/site/) outlines the similarities between the Elizabethan-era poet and many modern day hip hop lyricists, both in terms of education and experience as well as the poetry they have written. This video would serve as a good introduction to a composing lesson, as Akala reminds his audience about the core values of hip hop, emphasizing the principle of “knowledge.” He offers (and performs) a few challenges that could be easily transformed into classroom activities, such as attempting to write verse in

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(Shakespeare’s favorite) iambic pentameter. Akala demonstrates in this video why iambic pentameter is the ideal meter for hip hop, as it the most versatile and can be easily adapted to beats of different speeds. He also discusses adapting Shakespearean lyrics to original hip hop rap pieces. Students can either summarize a play or a poem, in their own words or perhaps choose just a single powerful line from one of Shakespeare’s tomes to use as a refrain in a new song. Either way, students will need to think critically about the text that they are reading and understand it deeply enough to relate it to their own experience and adapt it into something new. To make this assignment into a true multimodal experience, students will need to choose a background beat and tempo that matches the message of their lyrics and enhances the meaning of their song, transforming it from written text into a true performance piece. Students may also be encouraged to create artwork to accompany their pieces, and publish them to the web. The Hip Hop Shakespeare Company website is equipped with resources for students to use if they get stuck, such as a thesaurus, dictionary, “rhyme finder,” and video examples of work that other students have completed with Akala’s guidance.

2. Connecting with Classic Literature: http://www.youthmediareporter.org/2008/06/06/you-must-learn-promoting-hip-hop-in-education/ In this article, an English professor from NYU observes the high school classroom of Craig Kegler, who

was seamlessly integrating hip hop into his classroom to help his students understand the timeless themes of classic literature. In particular, Kegler’s class was studying Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter. Kegler introduced his students to a handful of songs by Tupac, having his students both listen to the music and read and analyze the lyrics. His students were able to make connections both to modern day social structures and social structures in place in the novel Scarlet Letter. (For example, one student compared his mother’s EBT card to a “scarlet letter.”) Their classroom dialogue evolved from simply discussing social issues into brainstorming ways that they could enact social change in their community. The students felt compelled to write letters to local and state politicians voicing their concerns over the inequity of the Michigan “Welfare to Work” law. In this case study, Kegler’s class used Hip Hop to connect with a piece of classic literature; however, their connection was so deep that it also prompted them to see the world differently and attempt to correct a social injustice in their community.

Teachers hoping to adapt this lesson for their own use can do so in a number of ways. They can choose to use the exact same materials that Kegler used (the novel Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, as well as the songs “Changes,” “Me Against the World,” “Keep Ya Head Up,” “I Ain’t Mad at ‘Cha,” and “Dear Momma” by Tupac). However, the teacher could also choose to use a different novel and different hip hop songs entirely. The most important step is for the teacher to preview (and analyze) the song lyrics ahead of time. Many students will see this as a fun activity; however, in order to achieve the same level of response as Kegler’s students, the teacher will need to have some higher-order guiding questions prepared to nudge students in the right direction during their discussion.

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3. Accessing Disciplines Outside of Language Arts:Listening to hip hop music pertaining to different content areas is a great way to encourage disciplinary

literacy, as well as an alternative method to learning subjects such as history, math, and science. Teachers interested in using hip hop in their content areas can approach this in a couple of ways. They can search for music created by “established” artists with lyrics that they deem appropriate for their classrooms. Or they can search for an educational group that creates hip hop songs designed especially for the classroom (we’ll call this “academic hip hop”). While opting for academic hip hop may seem like the ideal solution (because lyrics created by an educational group will, of course, be appropriate for the classroom, and song archives will likely be categorized by subject and easy to find), teachers should beware of using these materials alone. Many students will not consider this academically-inclined, corporation-produced music to be “true” hip hop--they will likely prefer to study an artist with “street credibility.” Academic hip hop should be used in moderation and in conjunction with “true” hip hop that can be studied for its artistry in its own right.

There are several mainstream artists who have taken it upon themselves to write lyrics reflecting hip hops fifth (and often forgotten) principle, “knowledge.” GZA, legendary member of the group Wu Tang Clan, is in the midst of researching and recording an album dealing with the more difficult concepts of science. His songs will range in topic from “primordial soup” to “climate change.” This is an excerpt previewing one of the songs dealing with the topic of the Big Bang Theory:

Before space and time thought produced a speck of lightIt was infinitely hot, so extremely brightWithin the center of this great shiningThere was massive energy and it was expanding in great timingWithin this fireball was all of spaceOf every special place for information it encasedLiterally a beginning this cosmic clock was tickingAnd allowed space to flow while it was spinningEverything we see around us

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The sun, the moon, the stars, the millions of worlds that astound usThe universe inside is hard to fathom

The album is called “Dark Matter,” and it will be released in 2015. A group called Blue Scholars raps about current and historical events, and the impact they have on society. Based out of Seattle, they have songs ranging from local events (such as their song “50 Thousand Deep,” detailing the police brutality that transpired during a protest outside of the Washington State Convention Trade Center in 1999) to nationwide trends (such as the current war on education described in their song “Commencement Day”). Both of the artists mentioned here are a little older and lesser known than some of the bigger, mainstream names like Jay-Z, Eminem, and Rhianna. Many modern-day hip hop artists have started excluding the precept of “knowledge” from their music, opting to sing about sex, drugs, or fame. However, those “old school” artists who still feel that hip hop should be a medium used to educate and enlighten are still out there, waiting to be found!

As previously mentioned, there is also a wealth of programs devoted to the creation of academic hip hop, should a teacher decide to use this kind of music in the classroom. For example, Flocabulary is a popular online subscription service with a library of hundreds of songs and videos related to different academic subjects for grades kindergarten through twelfth. A fifth grade teacher hoping to help her students learn about probability would only need to search through the archives to find the song “Tell the Future.” Here is an excerpt:

So yes, you can express a probable actionAs a decimal, percentage or as a fraction.⅕ probably not gonna occur,That’s 0.2 or a 20% chance, ya heard?If I flip a coin, what’s the probabilityOf getting tails? Well, that’s 0.5, you feeling me?Tails is one outcome out of two,So 50% no matter how many flips you do.

The audio files, video clips, and lyrics are easily found and conveniently used; however, the exercises accompanying the music do not really lend themselves to critical thinking exercises. They are mainly fill-in-the-blank worksheets that focus on shallow comprehension of the lyrics and mathematical concepts at hand. The songs on this site are more conducive to introducing material rather than prompting a deeper analysis of any subject.

4. Studying Hip Hop as Literature in its Own RightTeachers often lament that their students have no interest in poetry, completely ignoring the fact that

their students are listening to hip hop poetry on their iPods and streaming it on their computers in their spare time. These same teachers may be surprised to discover that hip hop lyricists combine complex social commentary with advanced vocabulary and symbolic imagery to create prose that is just as worthy of study as classic literature. While many students are already familiar with this genre of music, teachers shouldn’t make the mistake of assuming that there is nothing left to teach. A student could, theoretically, listen to a song one hundred times, appreciating the beat and even memorizing the lyrics without truly “hearing” the message of the song or understanding the deeper meaning. Teachers do not need to necessarily worry about finding new and unfamiliar artists; rather, they should focus on asking questions that will prompt their students to dig deeper and think critically about the lyrics and the beat of the music and the message that they convey.

A great example of complex commentary, advanced vocabulary, symbolic imagery and a history lesson all wrapped into one song is known as “Unforgivable Youth” by Lupe Fiasco. The lyrics to the second verse are as follows:

Ways and means from the trade of human beingsA slave labor force provides wealth to the machine

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And helps the new regime establish and expand Using manifest destiny to siphon off the land From native caretakers who can barely understandHow can land be owned by another man?Warns, "One cannot steal what was given as a gift;Is the sky owned by birds and the rivers owned by fish?"But the lesson went unheeded, for the sake of what's not neededYou kill but do not eat itThe excessive and elitists don't repair it when they leave it The forests were cleared, the factories were builtAnd all mistakes will be repeatedBy your future generations doomed to pay for your mistreatmentsFoolishness and flaws, greed and needs and disagreementAnd then you rush to have the most, from the day you left your boatsYou'll starve but never die in a world of hungry ghosts

This song was written as a reflection of the colonization and slavery in America. Each verse has some type of historical significance. When looking closely at this particular verse, notice the bolded and underlined areas. The bolded words point out some different vocabulary which some students may not know or understand. The underlined sections are some important events that have taken place that the teacher can elaborate on. This is one example of a Hip Hop really demonstrating the fact that it can be a well-thought out literature that can be appreciated by anyone that is willing to think critically and analyze the well-constructed versus.

5. Interpreting and Analyzing Multimodal Artistry (Graffiti): http://www.today.com/video/today/52191000#52191000This Today Show feature on street art being used as an agent for social change could serve as an

excellent introduction to teaching students about graffiti in a classroom. Graffiti is truly a multimodal art form because it is just as much about the process of creating it (the timing, legality, medium--such as spray paint, stickers, or etching) as the product. There are also various styles of graffiti and different purposes and meanings conveyed by each of them, all of which can be studied (and possibly replicated) as a form of art education. Some graffiti artists use their talents to promote gang activity or to “tag” themselves and promote their own fame. However, others use their skill to send a message or create awareness about a social injustice in their communities.

Though it is newer than other forms of art, graffiti has a rich history and it has evolved so much since its inception. The film Exit Through the Gift Shop is a documentary created by a street art “newbie,” making it accessible to an audience who knows very little about the world of graffiti. It contains a brief overview of the history of street art, but it mainly follows current street artists as they discuss and perform their craft, including the legendary Banksy. Watching this film and discussing it or creating a written response to it would be a great activity for students to complete even regardless of content, because this documentary is very complex. The purpose behind the documentary isn’t immediately clear, and it lends itself to an interesting discussion about the authenticity of street art and how street artists attain their credibility. Students should also discuss how street art conforms to the five precepts of hip hop culture. An alternative film that teachers could screen in class is the documentary Bomb It, which reviews street art history as well as the profiles of several well-known graffiti artists. Teachers who don’t want to invest time in watching an entire feature length film can opt to examine smaller pieces on street art. There are two blogs online worth looking into: The Dirt Floor and Brooklyn Street Art. The Dirt Floor (http://www.thedirtfloor.com/) is an online magazine featuring current street art, underground art, and pop culture movements. Brooklyn Street Art (http://www.brooklynstreetart.com/theblog/#.VGa8k_50zIU) is a collection of video clips rather than photographs. Their blog also features up-and-coming street artists and current trends going on around the

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nation. New content is uploaded to these blogs nearly every day, so it’s perfect for a quick “daily feature” as a discussion prompt or writing prompt. This aspect of hip hop is multi-faceted and should not be ignored.

6. Exploring Videography and “Video Grammar”In the book Multimodal Composing, David Bruce coins the term “video grammar” to refer to stylistic

decisions made by filmmakers (such as lighting, camera angles, and sound effects). He asks his students to “read” or deconstruct short clips of film as a precursor to having them create their own films. In doing this, he emphasizes the importance of analyzing film not only for its content, but for its artistry. Those stylistic decisions made by the filmmaker add meaning to the message being conveyed. Using this logic, it follows that students will not be able to completely grasp hip hop culture simply from listening to music or viewing photographs of street art. Music videos have been a large part of hip hop culture since the 1980’s, and students need to see for themselves the symbols utilized in these short bits of film (the use of “bling,” for example, as a blatant indicator of economic status) and discuss how they add to the meaning conveyed in each song and how they represent hip hop culture as a whole.

Let’s look at some examples:

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“The Message” by Grandmaster Flash and Furious Five can be used in middle school grades all the way up to the college level. This song can be used as a way to study the issues of race and class. Looking more closely at the video, different city scenes are show showing some of the devastation and uphill battles that people of color often have to face from job loss, broken families, and poverty.

2.

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“Ladies First” Queen Latifah is a strong message to the women of the world. However, looking more closely in this particular video, flashes of pictures and videos from the “apartheid era” in South Africa continue to flash during her music video. The video also continues to flash on the map of South Africa and black arms with hands in a fist continue to appear and move around. These strong images, videos, and even the message add a historical element to this video that is powerful.

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“I Can” by Nas can be used with students as young as the elementary level. This video shows children and adolescents of all different races and ethnicities standing together to show that they can be whatever they want to be if they work hard at achieving their dreams. The artist also brings up different examples of what happens when people make the wrong decisions. In the background of the video there are over a half of a dozen historical references through images and videos. There is also breakdancing and the art of graffiti on certain buildings, which all add to the meaning of the song.

4.

“Never Again” by Wu Tang Clan is an amazing video containing a variety of scenes from the Holocaust. It was dedicated to all of those who died during this time period. Some of the images are graphic and true representations of what happened. This video carries a strong message and when the lyrics are added this can make for one very memorable history lesson.

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5.

“One Must Learn” which was written by Krs focuses on the teaching of different ethnicities equally. For example, the video depicts many famous African American people that have been inventors and heroes but they aren’t always recognized through education. By teaching the facts about different ethnicities and not putting so much focus on one race, it will ultimately change the way students think. This is a message to change our thinking.

7. Reaching ESL StudentsStephen Mayeux, an ESL teacher and creator of the website www.eslhiphop.com stated, “Hip Hop

music is one of the most linguistically-rich sources of content that teachers can make available to their students. However, the selection of songs is very important when working with ESL students. Good song choices need to be relevant and meaningful which is a critical part in trying to engage these students in language. It can be more beneficial to choose songs that are less current because the pace will be slower. The choice of Hip Hop in the classroom will lead to positive discussions as well as oral and written discourse. Here are some ideas of how to use Hip Hop in the classroom with ESL students:

1. Video Info Gap – What’s hip-hop music without music videos? For this activity, students pair up and sit face-to-face. One student is looking at the video and the other partner has his back to the screen. Play the video without any music or sound. One partner must describe what is happening in the video while the other listens on. Pause the video in the middle and have partners switch. Conduct a whole-class summary of what they have just seen and then watch the video with music in its entirety.

2. Comparing Video to Lyrics – Have students compare the lyrics to the images and actions found in a song’s music video. This task has a number of possible objectives, but it is particularly useful for examining and discussing literal and figurative language.

3. Rewriting Lyrics – Hip-hop music uses not only a lot of figurative and idiomatic language, but also AAVE which is a non-standard variety of English. Having the students rewrite metaphorical language in plain English will invoke critical thinking skills. Rewriting the ‘rap dialect’ into prescriptive English will also heighten awareness of language forms while giving students a chance to appreciate a variety of English not used by society’s status quo.

4. Using Instrumentals – Who says hip-hop and rap music is only for listening? Why not give your students the opportunity to bust rhymes as well! Many hip-hop songs also have instrumental versions available on YouTube. Students can write their own songs and poems and recite them over the instrumentals, or you can set up a class karaoke lesson and practice the songs previously learned.

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*These ideas were taken directly from http://eslhiphop.com/2013/05/15-quick-ideas-for-using-hip-hop-in-class/

Closing SummarySince its inception in the 1970’s, hip hop has transformed from being a microculture relevant to only

the South Bronx into being a major, mainstream movement embraced and inhabited by people all over the world. Though it began as a rebellion against the inequities in education and government, open-minded educators in today’s schools are changing hip hop into a culture that is valued in the classroom and taught right alongside classic literature. These teachers have realized that hip hop uses lyrics that are rich with symbolism, advanced vocabulary, and references to content area subjects and events throughout history. In addition, analyzing other aspects of the culture (such as the videography of music videos and the purpose and technique used to create graffiti) are important challenges to include in the curriculum to help students develop multimodal literacy--becoming critical “readers” of media. With so many Common-Core aligned activities to choose from, a teacher really can’t go wrong by introducing hip hop into the classroom!

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