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Just reached home from the IoE
HipHopEdSoc launch. It’s Monday, nearly midnight and although the days teaching
had me nodding off into my book on the Northern line to Euston, I've returned
home eyes wide and mind buzzing from an evening of conversation and
presentations with some of London's finest Hip-hop educators.
Following
in the same vein as the HipHopEd seminars this first monthly meeting featured
UK rap legend TY. A veteran of the UK scene and still a very active live and
studio artist, TY is less well known for his work in education. Speaking on the
cathartic effect of providing workshops that 'use rap as an excuse for changing
the world', TY spoke of focussing on understanding and developing body
language, presence, articulation, movement, knowledge of self and your
environment. Work that aims to extend the range of communication skills that
the young participants are able to harness and utilise for their self-development
and empowerment.
TY has
been committed in his support of HipHopEd and shared insightful observations on
his own journey with Hip-hop as he shared some of the exercises from his
workshops with the help of willing volunteers from the audience. Salute.
TY's
presentation followed on from an epic Q&A after rapper and workshop leader
Shay D gave an impassioned presentation on her deep and diverse work running
workshops in a number of challenging environments with young people between 16
& 25. Clear that she is not a 'teacher' Shay spoke of the extended
relationships she manages with young people, often involving them in other
projects through her activity as a rapper and promoter with The Lyrically
Challenged collective.
The
debate that followed focused on the distinctions between teachers and otr educators
as Shay freestyled through a range of examples of the work she has done using
the creative writing and expressiveness of Hip-hop to help young people talk
about the complex issues they face in their lives and the responsibility that
comes with facilitating that work.
There
was some discussion about the authenticity of using Hip-hop that is synonymous
with anti-authoritarianism within authoritarian institutions and the potential
for Hip-hop to be a vehicle for self-empowerment or social change that led to a
discussion about the personal and transformative effect of the work on the
young people involved that relies on an instinctive approach to practice that
is informed by emotional literacy more than academic theory.
Darren
Chetty opened the presentations speaking about this Power To The Pupils project
that initiated debate about sampling and 'crate digging' based on a lesson he
had done with his students on Will I Am that traced the original sample in the
Will I Am song back to a Tamil movie soundtrack that Darren shared with his
pupils.
The
evening was kicked off with a reading of the HipHopEd manifesto as well as a
little recapping of the HipHopEd journey towards this latest manifestation at
the IoE.
Ending with a presentation from rapper
and special needs teacher Solo Cypher on the work of B.F. Skinner, HipHopEdSoc delivered a dope mix of conversations,
presentations, dialogue and discourse, that bumped like DJ sets. Everyone's
presentations and contributions to the dialogue shed more light on the
diversity of practice, pedagogy and purpose that exists amongst those working
with HipHopEd.
The
vibes on the evening were familial, and like all good families, the hiphoped
family can find difference and disagreement within each other's approaches and
beliefs. It is a great testimony to the UK HipHopEd movement that it provides a
space for sharing and debating these varied beliefs and practices, and at times
on the night the temperature and volume of the debate was raised. Not everyone
attending HipHopEdSoc possessed or desires to possess the etiquette of formal
academic debate, and as such there were times of beautiful anarchy, with voices
clashing, colliding and battling to be heard. But, that is what makes these
hiphopEd events so refreshing and engaging because a HipHopEd event is not your
average teachmeet, cpd opportunity or university society, it is a hub for a
growing number of hip-hop heads, from the streets, schools, universities and
all places in between, finding time to share and contribute to a widening field
of practice, centred on a shared passion for both education and Hip-hop
culture. Good people doing good work for good reason.
HipHopEd
is the space to be.
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