The Educational Power of Hip-Hop

A few innovative artists will use the words of Mos Def to lay down the ins and out of water conservation to about 40 Washington, D.C., students Thursday at Arlington's Artisphere.

Through hip-hop and multimedia art, the students will explore three social justice issues using the Hip-Hop Educational Literacy Program (H.E.L.P.), developed by artist and educator Gabriel Benn.

"This is learning through the lens of hip-hop," Benn said. "It's another way for them to find out information and showing them things."

Students will participate in discussions, listen to music and watch video footage, and create multimedia art with the help of Benn and other Artisphere artists. 

"Artists are natural teachers," Benn said. "They're passionate about what they do, and whatever their art is, they want to show people. They can teach the same concepts in a different way."

Benn, known as Asheru in the hip-hop world, was an educator in D.C. schools for 14 years before becoming a full-time educator of educators. He gives teachers the tools to teach kids in new, culturally responsive ways.

His lessons for teachers, along with the after-school classes he leads at Ballou High School and Cesar Chavez Middle School in the district, were born of frustration with traditional textbook teaching methods over his 10 years in front of the classroom.

"A lot of times, in the classroom, it's redundant, it's not exciting," he said.

Over the course of his career, Benn said he tried to find out what his students were interested in, and to use those interests to relate to the curriculum.

Now, through his community service organization Guerilla Arts Ink, and educational-material publisher Educational Lyrics, Benn writes workbooks based on H.E.L.P., each using a song to highlight a social issue. The workbooks are suitable for a range of ages and reading levels, and comply with educational standards.

"You have to modify your lessons to meet (the students') needs," Benn said. "Look at kids as humans, with their own culture and identity."

Hip-hop culture is a big part of youth culture, Benn said, and he hopes to educate and inspire through that lens.

"I'm excited to see what they'll be more conscious of when they walk out of here," Benn said. "I'm hoping that some of them walk away and want to become active and change things."

The class will be offered again in August to students ages 10 to 17, in two three-day sessions covering different social issues.

• Aug. 1-3: "Diamonds are Forever" -- Conflict Diamonds and Hip-Hop. 1-4 p.m.
• Aug. 22-24: "The Bookdocks" -- Life in the City vs. Life in the Suburbs. 1-4 p.m.

Each session costs $160, and need-based fee reductions are available.

The H.E.L.P. program is part of the expanding educational programming at Arlington's Artisphere, run by the county's Division of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources.

"We're looking for crossover between disciplines, and to find educational components within the work being done in the building," said Lisa Marie Thalhammer, director of educational programs at Artisphere. "But we're really just beginning."