Hip Hop Pedagogy Inside The Classroom

In this day and age, hip hop culture is a part of society in so many facets of our everyday lives. It is presented in media, sports, fashion, and music as a form of artistic expression and communication. In the article, Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy as a Form of Liberatory Praxis, we are presented with an educational approach that attempts to further understand some of the deeper contexts of how hip hop culture can be promoted and employed inside the classroom. Traditionally, it seems that topics of discussion involving the many important aspects of hip hop would never make it inside the classroom, as if it was not relevant and did not exist as fluently as it does today. It is important not to categorize all hip hop as the same, as some artists clearly represent and convey a different meaning and message in each song, that must be recognized when we begin to unravel the intricacies that come along with this art form. As stated, “I am not suggesting that all forms of hip hop are emancipatory, revolutionary, or even resistive—

many forms are not—and some are quite the opposite.” (Akom, 2009, p. 55). What we know as hiphop, will continuously change and evolve in relation to the way society progresses as well. Many of the points from this article, speak on the significance of this art form as a tool to express, confront, and address the injustices, racial inequalities and societal boundaries that came from cultural oppression in the 1970’s to present day. In this article, written in 2009, constant references are made to the original pioneers of hip hop, while exploring some individuals involved in its early origins in the 1980’s and early 2000’s and display the global importance of these artists’ voices and messages in the national spotlight. References are made to individuals who have had incredible influences on how important of a tool hip hop is, such as KRS-ONE, Dead Prez, The Coup and artists from the Harvard Hip Hop archive, (Akom, 2009, p. 60). At the same time, we must recognize that all hip hop does not convey the meaning to what many of the pioneers desired, fought, and worked towards when hip hop began to emerge in mainstream culture. 

Educators must have the ability to realize that hip hop is, continues to be, and will remain relevant in society for the unforeseeable future. In real time classroom settings, educators could allow students to practice rhyme, rhythm, and vocabulary enhancements when learning about hip hop when creating lesson plans, focusing on the intellect within hip hop, while navigating away from the profanity and objectification of genders. But doing this we are able to acknowledge its cultural importance, its mainstream success, and pedagogical approach inside classrooms. Teachers should be able to recognize how many young students’ primary choice for music is the genre of hip-hop and use that as a tool to teach them about what messages hip hop can send, whether it be good or bad. By welcoming discussion around hip hop and its educational value, we can allow students to understand on a deeper level what opportunity lies within a detailed exploration of the genre of hip hop and its relevance inside the classroom.

Akom, A. A. “Critical Hip Hop Pedagogy as a Form of Liberatory Praxis.” Equity & Excellence in Education, vol. 42, no. 1, 2009, pp. 52–66., https://doi.org/10.1080/10665680802612519.