If we can agree that literacy means understanding and constructing meaning from the world around us, then popular culture, especially hip-hop, represents a site rich with teaching and learning possibilities. But what does it mean to be literate in the 21 st century? What kinds of “texts” are relevant to students and how can we help them become more critical consumers of those texts? Ultimately students must decide in their persona as record executives, what’s more important? profits or people?Īs an English Language Arts teacher, I’m tasked with helping students develop literacy skills. Students must choose between signing a rapper whose lyrics are filled with violence, opulence, and degrading language towards women – and a rapper who critiques these messages in a politically, morally, and socially responsible way. One lesson in particular asks students to engage in a role-play where they assume the identities of corporate record executives presented with the task of signing one artist. Often times, in my classroom this kind of dialogue leads to powerful discussions about hyper-capitalism and the influence of corporations on the media we consume. If we do, we are enacting a form of symbolic violence on students who identify with hip-hop culture and consider it a part of their identity. We must be careful not to demonize rap music based solely on commercial hip-hop. I think we should include both kinds of rap music in our classrooms if we want to have really meaningful, well-rounded discussions. There are countless other artists with messages that are positive, uplifting, and socially conscious, but they often go unheard. Many teachers don’t realize the radio only broadcasts a corporate, commercial brand of rap music. When speaking with educators, I’m often surprised that their perception of hip-hop only extends as far as the radio. Artists we’ve studied include Lupe Fiasco, Kendrick Lamar, Mos Def, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, and J. We compare artists who promote misogyny with those who offer a counter-narrative, aiming to humanize women and critique the culture of sexism in hip-hop and society. We also analyze hip-hop lyrics with the same questions in mind. What is our responsibility as consumers of these images?.What is the motivation of those who are trying to sell us these products?. Who makes decisions about advertisement content?.I also show students how women are objectified on billboards and magazine covers, reading these images through a feminist lens while asking ourselves questions about the commercial motivations behind these images. This elicits quite a response from teenagers, as one can imagine, but always leads to an engaging, critical dialogue about the nature of sexism in hip hop and the media. This year I showed students an image of a famous rapper blatantly objectifying a woman in one of his music videos. I start class by showing students a series of images depicting women in music videos, advertisements, and magazines. This is precisely why we should create spaces for our students to critique these messages.Įvery year I teach a lesson on sexism in the media, using hip hop as a lens to explore a variety of texts. The same is true of contemporary cinema, television, sports, and wider American culture. It’s true that commercial hip-hop is often sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, and violent. Kids today are just as invested in hip-hop culture as they were in the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Over 40 years later, hip-hop has become a worldwide phenomenon, reaching every corner of the globe and shaping the identities of a whole generation of young people. In response to limited resources, poverty, and gang violence that riddled the New York City borough, black and Latino youth came together in an effort to improve the community, expressing themselves through rapping, breakdancing, graffiti art, and turntablism. Hip-hop was born in the South Bronx of the 1970s under oppressive conditions. ” Recalling a recent lesson on hip-hop’s fifth element, Christian went on to explain that hip-hop offers students an opportunity to learn, “”knowledge of self,” which is knowing who you are.” We learn the origin, customs, and traditions. On a recent February afternoon, just outside of New York City, only miles from hip-hop’s birthplace in the South Bronx, I asked my high school students to answer this question in the opening cypher why should schools include hip-hop in the curriculum?Ĭhristian, now a junior, told us that, “hip-hop is a culture and it’s just like learning about the Aztecs or the Mayans. This circle is the pedagogical foundation of the work I do in hip-hop education. In a cypher, students stand in a circle, spread at equal distances, and one at a time, contribute a rhyme, line of poetry, thought, idea, or affirmation. Most classes start with a “Do Now” or “Warm-Up.” Mine often start with a hip-hop cypher.
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