How can hip hop be used as a tool to promote social justice and youth activism in the classroom? What is the relationship between hip hop culture and the development of critical consciousness amongst students?

Within A. A. Akom’s article, he addresses that the art of hip-hop has influenced many people and still continues to. It cannot be singularly defined and it is a global phenomenon that needs to be evident in classrooms. The meaning, purpose, and function of hip hop can be viewed as an aesthetic and a weapon in the fight for racial justice. In a quote from KRS-One, he says, “It seems to me in a school that’s ebony, African history should be pumped up steadily, but it’s not and this has got to stop.” This quote evokes many thoughts. For instance, in a community that encompasses many different races and ethnicities, having an all Eurocentric education system is harmful and contributes to the “slow death for too many students of colour” (Tatum). A school’s curriculum needs to be a reflection of the people in our communities and by doing so, the school will give students a rich understanding of “culture, history, socioeconomic, and spiritual realities” through the eyes of Black people/people of colour. Hip-hop has been used as a tool to discuss problems such as police-brutality, inequalities, and poverty. However, hip-hop has often been regarded as something that occurs outside of school. By incorporating elements of hip-hop into the classroom, students are able to make social change by beginning to develop strategies to create these changes. Further, Critical Hip-Hop Pedagogy gives people of colour the ability to accurately assess their own strengths, needs, and their right to act upon them in this world. It gives students the ability to participate in discussions that challenge the traditional paradigms, methods, and texts. Youth are given the knowledges to learn to move past victimization, confront unjust social and economic conditions, and explore deep-seated norms about race, class, gender, culture and language.