Why hip hop should be used to teach

What comes to mind when you hear the term hip hop education? I’d imagine that the vast majority of people would picture young people learning how to write rhymes, break dance, graffiti or DJ. Sounds like fun, right? And certainly, many people do join these traditional “hip hop classes” for various reasons including self-expression, increased fitness, a better social life, and professional development in the performing arts.

But hip hop is starting to be used in schools and in the community in much more creative and diverse ways than this. In the US there is a growing movement of hip hop education in both formal and informal education settings. For example, Minnesota’s High School for Recording Arts, established in 1998, has been dubbed “Hip Hop High”.