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Hip-hop based education


Hip-hop based education (HHBE) refers to the use of hip-hop, especially rap songs and lyrics, as curricular resources.

Integrating hip-hop into academic curriculum gives youth more interest in education and promotes literacy. HHBE advocates believe that hip-hop can be used in classrooms to inspire youth to be agents of social and political. 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.

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.

Marcella Runell and Martha Diaz created the "Hip-Hop Education Guidebook: Volume 1", a comprehensive collection of lesson plans and resources that educators can use to integrate hip-hop into their classroom curriculum. The book concept was inspired by Diaz, who founded and curated the Hip-Hop Education Summit with Patricia Wang. 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. Hip-Hop Association published the work and Runell stated that the response has been "tremendous."

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.

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 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.


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