English Curriculum Needs Hip-Hop
Renowned for weaving compelling narratives through poetic precision, hip-hop continues to capture the attention of another generation of young people as the most popular music genre. Even as this artform continues to grow in popularity, it remains largely absent from the epicenter of United States literary circles: the English classroom.
That needs to change. English classes across the country need to incorporate hip-hop in their curriculum to engage students, foster relevance, and enhance skills.
As a 7th grade English teacher, I’ve seen students drool with boredom as they analyze a poem from the 1800s that we continue to assign because it’s a “classic” piece of literature. I’ve witnessed informational articles crush students with pointlessness while simultaneously draining the excitement out of reading.
I’ve also watched those same students dive into hip-hop lyrics and journalistic articles with ferocity while practicing Language Arts skills at a serious level of depth. Studies show that higher levels of classroom engagement lead to higher levels of both achievement and growth. If hip-hop literature will enhance student engagement, let’s use it.
The inclusion of hip-hop in the classroom also increases relevancy. Hip-hop narratives tend to focus on the experiences of marginalized communities whose stories are often underrepresented in English classrooms and wider culture. By using hip-hop lyrics instead of antiquated texts, students can find themselves represented, which builds a more personal connection with the text.
Pioneering teachers are already paving the way. Lauren Leigh Kelly, a New York high school English teacher, created a hip-hop literacy curriculum and found that her students felt connected to the texts because they reflect their own identities and experiences that were otherwise unrepresented in most literature. Her curriculum has been adapted by college professors, elementary school teachers, and social justice curriculum developers because her concepts are so effective.
Incorporating hip-hop literature allows teachers to enhance relevance while bringing tough conversations into the classroom through the wide array of subject matter discussed in hip-hop song lyrics: police brutality, personal identity, neighborhood experiences, ambitions, racism, love, economic inequality, social justice, gender inequality, etc. Students experience these concepts personally on a daily basis. And, if they don’t, these songs provide opportunities for students to learn from the experiences of another perspective.
The English Language Arts curriculum community has made progress in recent years, making a minimal effort to move away from a Eurocentric attitude toward literature. Kendrick Lamar’s 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning album, Damn, was added to the IB English curriculum as a suggested literary text (though some schools have ignored this suggestion.)
But how many more influential stories, perspective, and poetic devices have students missed out on? Consider Nas’s cinematic debut album, Illmatic, which utilizes masterful sensory detail and figurative language to paint a picture of his experience in Queens, Rakim’s development of complex internal rhyme scheme, The Fugees’s empowerment of the immigrant experience, or Queen Latifah’s discussion of gender stereotypes.
This literature opens the door for teachers and students to have honest discussions rooted in a common text about social justice, economic inequality, gender discrimination, and systemic racism. Students need to engage in conversations like these, and hip-hop literature can serve as the perfect vehicle for bringing these conversations into the classroom.
According to The Harvard Gazette, students build their Language Arts skills by analyzing hip-hop literature and lyrics, just as they would with a “classic” text from someone like Shakespeare. Teachers can focus the analysis on any number of applicable standards and skills, like theme, plot development, elements of poetry, and author perspective.
These texts also provide students with a newfound excitement for writing, both analytically and creatively. Students can craft analytical essays about the layers of meaning within a song, refute a journalist article’s claim about a particular artist’s impact, or create their own poetry based on their favorite rapper’s lyrical style. The power of writing through hip-hop is endless.
Some teachers might shy away from utilizing the power of hip-hop in English class based on the assumption that hip-hop lyrics contain explicit content. And they’re not wrong; many hip-hop songs feature curse words, misogynistic themes, and homophobic language. While songs with these explicit themes have no place in the classroom, neither do the many racist and sexist novels that white culture deems “classic,” nor do certain best-selling novels like 50 Shades of Gray.
Any good teacher uses discretion and finds texts to match the levels of their grade level, and the same is true when incorporating hip-hop into the classroom. Many artists (A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Rakim, Lauryn Hill, Lupe Fiasco, etc.) produce powerful, profanity-free content that focuses on classroom-appropriate issues in a manner that affirms identity. Instead of relying on the latest chart-topping hit, dive deeper into the genre of hip-hop to find quality storytellers that students can gravitate toward.
Teachers can incorporate age-appropriate hip-hop into their curriculum in a variety of ways. Lyrical analysis of Queen Latifah’s Ladies First allows students to dive into her strength as a Black woman. Don’t Sweat the Technique by Eric B. and Rakim features complex rhyme schemes and poetic devices. Some of the best modern long-form journalism comes from hip-hop media outlets, which gives students the opportunity to analyze informational and persuasive texts surrounding something they’re actually interested in.
English teachers should take the bold step of including hip-hop literature into their classroom experiences, while school districts need to provide guidance and resources that make this a norm across schools. Students can advocate for themselves, encouraging teachers and districts to incorporate texts and media that they have a vested interest in analyzing.
It’s time for teachers and school districts to step outside of their comfort zone and recognize that the white experience found in “classic” literature is not synonymous with quality literature, or responsive teaching practices. To engage students, enhance relevance, and provide a platform to discuss social issues, we need to incorporate more hip-hop into our English Language Arts curriculum.