Blog Post 7

Hip-Hop music and culture is often used to describe and advocate for people in marginalized communities, as well as telling stories about what occurs in these communities. Hip-Hop often depicts advocacy for social change in a creative way which can be very beneficial for students when implemented into the classroom. 

Implementing Hip-Hop culture and music into the classroom can teach students about power and oppression as well as opening new doors for their sense of creativity. Students could construct and analyze lyrics of hip-hop songs and research the social and political contexts of them. As well, students can create their own lyrics advocating for social change on a topic or issue they are passionate about.

When I was in school, we didn’t touch on hip-hop, but instead spoken word poetry which was similar in style and intention. We were shown countless examples of people who created poetry and read them out loud, some of them often conveying very emotional experiences of homophobia, racism, bullying and sexual assault. In a high school setting, being shown these clips of spoken word poetry created empathy and a deeper understanding of the issues some people face and can be used as valuable tools to advocate for a better future.