Beyond Bling: Why Hip Hop Activism & Education Are More Important Than Ever
Posted by gynae on 01-23-2009
While a lot of commercial hip hop or rap tends to celebrate fame and fortune and the partying that comes alone with it, there has always been a grassroots hip hop movement that combines beats and rhymes with a pro-social message and includes community organizations working on issues affecting inner-city youth. With the current financial crisis, these organizations are both more important than ever and at risk for losing their funding.
Check out this round-up of hip hop organizations and initiatives that we hope will continue to do great work in hard times. If we missed any, definitely leave them in the comments!
Hip-Hop Matters – Based in Washington D.C., this non-profit org focuses on three core operating areas: youth advocacy, urban youth outreach, and education. They lead various workshops on such topics as how to integrate hip hop as a learning tool in the classroom, deciphering the hidden messages in rap, and the history of each of the five elements of hip hop.
Hip Hop Congress – With over 55 chapters currently in place on high school and college campuses, HHC is a national and international non-profit corporation which provides the tools, resources, and opportunities to make social, economic and political change. Hip Hop Congress Europe is headquartered in Paris, France.
Words Beats & Life Inc. – Founded in 2000, their first program was The D.C. Urban Arts Academy, which was followed by Words Beats Life: The Global Journal of Hip Hop. Their latest initiative is an attempt to become the nation's premier non-profit hip hop incubator, creating opportunities for other D.C.-based organizations and youth entrepreneurs to build capacity and resources. They also host an annual Hip Hop Chess Tournament, totally unrelated to the Hip Hop Chess Federation, founded by Ypulse buddy Adisa Banjoko.
Hip-Hop Summit – Just a few of this group's accomplishments: registered over 11,000 young new voters in Philadelphia in 2001; helped mobilize about 100,000 New York City public school students to protest a $300 million cut to the public school budget; organized a public campaign rally against unfair Rockefeller drug laws in New York with over 60,000 joining their rally.
Hip-Hop Association – H2A offers everything from media literacy programs, a Hip-Hop Education Guidebook, a distribution label, and more. They are also in the beginning stages of The Womanhood Learning Project, a study exploring women's roles within hip hop and the community.
Hip Hop Gives Back – Relatively new to the scene, 'The Home of Hip Hop's Humanitarians' hope to motivate change and aspire greatness. Focusing on only the positives of Hip Hop Culture, the org highlights the latest contributors to hip hop and posts albums from various charitable hip hop functions.
The Hip Hop Project - Produced by Queen Latifah and Bruce Willis, this compelling documentary is about one young man's struggle and triumph to be heard amongst all the loudness that is New York City. The Cipher: Austin's Hip Hop Project, which I volunteer for, collaborates with the original founders of the program to ensure the same successes are met along the way. I may be a little partial, but I find the story to be one of the most inspirational of how the program came to fruition.
In addition to these organizations, many colleges and universities are also offering hip hop courses. Northwestern University has taught Ballers and B-girls: De-industrialization and the Hip Hop Generation; CSU Long Beach offers Hip Hop Criticism; and The University of Chicago has The Politics of The Hip Hop Generation course. Hiphop University has compiled a list of current and past courses available. Every summer, the Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives from the University of Wisconsin at Madison holds a Spoken Word and Hip-Hop Educator and Community Leader Training Institute to learn the best practices in course study.
For more coverage of hip hop culture, check out the new Ypulse Urban Channel.
About Gynae Davalos
Gynae is Ypulse's new Urban editor. She currently works with The Cipher Project in Austin. She's also been involved in Better Hip Hop Bureau Austin and is currently in training to be a Lonestar Rollergirl, which has a program for young girls called Austin Derby Brats.
Categorized under: Urban
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I wholeheartedly agree. I used to be involved in a nonprofit professional hip hop dance company called Culture Shock in LA. They use hip hop dance and culture to educated kids as well. There is also a kids' version of the group called Future Shock. It's an international group. Check out the LA group's site at http://www.shockla.com.
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Hip-hop is a great place for not only political feedback but also brand acceptance and cultural diversity as the essence of hip-hop is sampling from other styles and cultures. This list is great – thanks for sharing!
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:59 pm
This new book is a great resource- " Its Bigger Than Hip Hop" By M.K. Asante
http://www.amazon.com/Its-Bigger-Than-Hip-Hop/dp/0312373260
January 24th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
[...] Beyond Bling: Why Hip Hop Activism & Education Are More Important … [...]
January 28th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
[...] at YPulse they've put together a list of hip hop and rap organizations that are doing good in the community. Anybody who puts the words [...]
February 12th, 2009 at 9:11 am
[...] Beyond Bling: Why Hip Hop Activism & Education Are More Important Than Ever (ypulse.com) [...]
August 19th, 2009 at 7:13 am
Here is a video students from Community TV Network's Hard Cover produced about the changes of hip hop. Check it out.