This week, I read the article “Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy as a form of Liberatory Praxis” by A. A. Akom. The author writes about how using hip hop as a tool in the classroom allows for students to connect with a creative outlet that has roots in African American culture. Akom writes “I argue that the use of hip hop as a liberatory practice is rooted in the long history of the Black freedom struggle and the quest for self-determination for oppressed communities around the world” (Akom, 53). This statement helps the reader to understand that hip hop is more than just dance. Hip hop is a way for people to express themselves and explore African American culture. It is also a way to bring culture into the classroom. The author also believes that hip hop can be used to illuminate problems like “poverty, police brutality, patriarchy, misogyny, incarceration, [and] racial discrimination” (54).
This article has some very interesting insight towards using hip hop as a more historical part of the curriculum instead of a solely art focus. The author explains that it engages students with the real world because it brings up issues that African American people are still facing today, especially within hip hop music. I think that hip hop could be an effective tool to raise awareness about these types of issues. I am not sure if hip hop will be able to change anything though. Although, raising awareness does often bring about change. Using hip hop in a history class, teaching about the many influential African American people through hip hop music, and allowing students to create their own dance or song might be a creative way to incorporate hip hop into the curriculum. History class is often a class where students are asked to read the textbook, watch a video and answer some questions. If a more hands-on approach and active pedagogy can be added, then I don’t see why not! Another place where hip hop may be incorporated into the curriculum is English. Creating song lyrics is kind of like creating poetry. Student may be asked to created a short segment of lyrics within the hip hop genre about African American issues. This might be another active and somewhat fun activity for students to do in a traditionally non-active subject.
Hello Brooklyn
I really enjoyed reading your blog post as you made some great connections between the reading and what we are learning in class. one of the best connections that I felt you made was when you mentioned that you weren’t sure if hip hop could change anything. As a teacher, we can’t really push for change but we can bring up the idea of change and can let the students go from there. thanks for writing such a well-thought-out blog post.
Hi Brooklyn,
I think you have done a really good job discussing Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy. When you mention that “hip hop is more than just dance,” I agree and it is important to recognize that it also has a history relating to oppression. I never thought about how this could be a way of incorporating culture into the classroom prior to reading your post, but this is definitely a benefit.
When you state that “I am not sure if hip hop will be able to change anything though,” I wonder why you think this and if you are specifically referring to hip hop or the general idea of social justice. You do state raising awareness tends to cause change so I question if you see hip hop promoting youth activism or not.
You mention that hip hop could be effective in raising awareness around social issues, and I definitely agree. When you talk about using hip hop as a tool in the classroom, I find it significant that you found ways to incorporate it into both history or English. I especially enjoy the activity you mention in which students could create their own song lyrics with ties to hip hop and social justice, being that this could be beneficial. It seems like you have an excellent understanding of hip hop in terms of social justice and the development of critical consciousness!