Hip Hop as Canon

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Increasing Practitioner Involvement to Promote Authenticity in Hip Hop Studies

Abstract

Academic canon is defined as “the writings or other works that are generally agreed to be good, important, and worth studying” (Cambridge Dictionary,2025). Academic canon is arbitrary, Eurocentric, and lacks diversity and representation (Aston, 2017). Hip Hop is an example of a culture whose contributions, across disciplines in higher education, are minimized or excluded from the academic canon. There are several reasons as to why Hip Hop is often left out of the academic canon; De-Paor-Evans (2018) argues, “Despite the international reach and impact that hip-hop culture has achieved over the past 40 years, there remain misjudgments about hip-hop’s hierarchical status and position as an art form” (para. 2). In addition to not viewing the culture and it’s contributions as valuable, there is an issue with educators recycling materials that were once taught to them. Turner (2018) explains that this, in turn, reinforces and perpetuates these prejudicial attitudes about what is considered valuable or canon; “ Hierarchical societies reproduce themselves through cultural resources that generate social value. The values attached to these social and cultural resources are determined from the top social strata and then disseminated throughout society via mediums like education” (p. 85).

Current academic canon “perpetuates and reinforces itself through people’s regularized acceptance of it, tacitly enforcing norms of power” (Aston, 2017, p. 41). This presentation will argue that the academe should include some of Hip Hop’s main contributions as academic canon. Hip Hop is one of the most popular cultures in the world and should be recognized for its impact and cultural forms of expression and traditions. Beyond its tangible art, Hip Hop allows students to identify, analyze, and address social inequalities in society (Abe, 2009), and allows students the ability to express themselves in innovative and creative ways, which can be employed as a pedagogical tool; its value is almost limitless.

Author

• Cindy Macias, Stay Arts