An Ode to Hip-Hop, from Education: 50 Years of a Genre in the Classroom

Fifty years ago, at a party in the Bronx, hip-hop was born. As the story goes, DJ Kool Herc threw a back-to-school jam where he used two turntables, instead of the usual one, to create a continuous loop of music where he then isolated and repeated musical breaks. This technique set the foundation for what would become the hip-hop style. Four of the most recognized elements of hip-hop — DJing (deejaying), MCing (emceeing, or rapping), breakdancing, and graffiti — have set the foundation for what started at house parties in a single borough and grew into a worldwide phenomenon.

This month, there have been countless celebrations of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop across mediums and formats. Showtime built a repository of films and documentaries. A podcast from Larry Mizell, Jr. called “50 Years of Hip-Hop” is covering a different year for each episode. The New York Times showcased 50 rappers describing their early influences. The Brooklyn Public Library is offering a number of hip-hop themed events and classes over the course of the summer, while the New York Public Library put out a limited edition Wild Style library card. There are block parties, open mics, and so many more creative and engaging celebrations planned.

But this celebration should also extend to the classroom. Why? Because this 50th anniversary of hip-hop coincides with a significant social and political moment in education, where there is increased scrutiny on decision-making around what is right for students. Misunderstandings about critical race theory, book bans, and more recent negative curricular changes to history and social studies state standards have created an incredible tension in both policymaking spaces and in classrooms as well. Amid today’s fraught political environment, it feels necessary to pause to not only celebrate hip-hop’s musical contributions, but also the educators who weave that celebration into their everyday practices.

Culturally responsive teaching, or culturally relevant pedagogy — a framework developed by Gloria Ladson-Billings in the ’90s — describes asset-based teaching practices where educators engage all learners, but particularly those whose cultures and experiences are historically excluded or overlooked. In a 2018 talk at Bowdoin College, Ladson-Billings describes “culturally relevant pedagogy” as a term that she came up with to pass along this framework to her fellow colleagues and academics. But for teachers engaging in these practices generally, it was simply teaching.

“It feels necessary to pause to not only celebrate hip-hop’s musical contributions, but also the educators who weave that celebration into their everyday practices.”

Since Ladson-Billings’ conceptualization of culturally responsive or relevant teaching, the phrase has taken on a life of its own. This is especially true in recent years, following an executive order by the Trump administration to halt any trainings on “divisive topics” related to race and gender in federal spaces. This effectively meant a ban on any racial or gender bias trainings, a move that triggered a chain reaction across government and academia. Since then, critical race theory and culturally responsive teaching have been under attack. This has made efforts to provide all students — especially those historically excluded — an education that reflects their unique experiences more difficult than ever.

Despite the work of a few influential voices seeking to control the narrative around race and gender in the classroom, the mission to educate students with practices that reflect their experiences has continued. While the pandemic disrupted daily life worldwide, recent polls show that more parents are feeling more confident in their children’s learning, despite the negative effects of the pandemic. This stands in stark contrast to what education researchers have found related to issues like learning loss and preschool enrollment. And while it may be difficult to quantify the reasons behind this growth in confidence, it is not hard to imagine that educators are working overtime to ensure that students stay engaged.

Music has always engaged youth, and there is an incredible amount of research that illustrates how educators achieve better outcomes when students engage in music education. However, a newer approach called hip-hop pedagogy, or hip-hop based education, has created great interest and excitement among educators.

In 2015, scholars and leading researchers Chris Emdin and Edmund S. Adjpong defined hip-hop pedagogy as “authentically and practically incorporating the creative elements of hip-hop into teaching, and inviting students to have a connection with the content while meeting them on their cultural turf by teaching to, and through their realities and experiences.” But the work of bridging the gap between hip-hop and culturally responsive teaching had been happening for many years prior.

Marc Lamont Hill, known for his political analysis on news outlets like MSNBC and CNN, published a book in 2009 entitled Beats, Rhymes, and Classroom Life: Hip-Hop Pedagogy and the Politics of Identity. With a foreword from Gloria Ladson-Billings, the book discusses ways that educators can use both inspiration from and elements of hip-hop to forge connections with students, create opportunities for engagement, and ultimately “renegotiate their classroom identities.” Today, numerous scholars and educators like Aysha Upchurch, Jeff Duncan-Andrade, and others continue to add to the body of research on hip-hop pedagogy.

And while good research guides good practice, when it comes to education, implementation is where the magic happens. The world of academia and theory collides directly with teaching practice when it comes to teachers in training, or pre-service teachers. This is a space that is also embracing hip-hop pedagogy as an opportunity to lean into culturally responsive practice. Colleges like Duke and The New School are offering courses in hip-hop pedagogy within their schools of education, and Ohio University’s Patton College of Education introduced a program called Hip-Hop OHIO Patton Education (or HOPE), which is dedicated to equipping pre-service teachers with the skills and tools necessary to implement culturally relevant practices within their own teaching styles. This important work means that new generations of teachers will have the opportunity to enter the classroom with insight into what really excites and engages, in addition to practices that fully reflect the students in their classrooms.

“While good research guides good practice, when it comes to education, implementation is where the magic happens.”

And then there are those children and grandchildren of hip-hop, who also just happen to be teachers. These are the educators who have hip-hop in their veins and cannot help but to celebrate the music in their everyday practices. For example, Mrs. Crim of Joliet West High School in Chicago, Illinois, remixed Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow” to meet her math needs and shot a video for “Codak Yellow,” which went viral and landed her on the news. Ms. Evans and Williams of Monroe Comprehensive High School in Albany, Georgia, went viral for their back-to-school remix of Jack Harlow’s “What’s Poppin,” even enlisting the help of masked-up students as background dancers. While the everyday celebrations of hip-hop in the classroom don’t go viral, you can find that same energy in the morning-routine raps, the dance battles in the gym, and the lo-fi beats playing in the background during independent reading time.

Hip-hop has offered the world an outlet, a space for creative expression, and freedom. It started with a small party in the Bronx, and it’s grown into a global movement. In both theory and practice, hip-hop has deep implications on and wide opportunities within the classroom. And while the body of research about and practice of hip-hop pedagogy only continues to expand, hip-hop’s footprint in education is already there — starting with its origins. So as we mark 50 years of the genre, we celebrate all that hip-hop has offered to the world, with a special shout-out to the teachers who harness the power of music to bridge gaps, deepen connections, and inspire their students.

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