Hip Hop Practitioners as Content Experts

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

Abstract

Hip Hop is a culturally sustaining pedagogy (CSP) (Ladson-Billings, 2014) that views the students’ cultural practices as resources “to honor, explore, and extend” (Paris, 2012, p. 94). Cultural practices include its tenets (peace, love, unity, and having fun), values (“Each One, Teach One” and “Always a Student”), and traditions (role of the OG or mentor). Practitioners (OGs/Mentors) play a crucial role in the development of artists within the culture, teaching its history, offering guidance and support, and providing industry knowledge. Paor-Evans (2018) argues that collaboration is needed between the academe and culture; “There is a marked difference between hip-hop artists and practitioners visiting academic institutions and academics developing hip-hop research from within academic institutions. A greater synergy between academics and practitioners is needed to progress hip-hop studies and be taken seriously as a core area for study” (para. 19). Practitioners' experiences and expertise are often excluded from the academe, even within programs that focus on Hip Hop.

Research shows (Phan et al., 2024) that higher education institutions need to choose practitioners or speakers who “optimize educational outcomes and prepare students more effectively for professional environments” (para. 1). This presentation will both advocate for the involvement of Hip Hop practitioners and serve as an example of how the academe can amplify, value, and incorporate their contributions across the academe. Two presenters from the Hip Hop culture who serve as a bridge between the academe and the culture will also share their experiences, expertise, and ways in which the academe can include other Hip Hop practitioners and their contributions in the classroom and academic canon.

Authors

• Michael Conforti, The Hip Hop Institute of Social Innovation

• Emile YX? Jansen