Artistic Resistance: Creating a Transformative Teaching Praxis Through Hip-Hop

• In Event: 25.043 - "We Gon' Be Alright": Hip-Hop-Based Education, Knowledge, and Freedom

Abstract

As an urban art form of creative expression, hip-hop is a force within youth culture that can inform teacher education programs. Yet it is rarely brought into the dialogue. To address this gap in the literature, I examined over 1,000 lyrics, giving particular attention to the ways rappers conceptualize knowledge, learning, and school. Theories of cultural reproduction and resistance situate hip-hop as a seminal, street-based literary art form. Declarations within rap music resonate with youth, and their voices of critique are valuable and relevant to teachers. Educators can learn from rappers as well as use lyrics inside the classroom; the key is to learn from the content instead of simply commodify the messages.

Author

• Vajra M. Watson, University of California - Davis