Featherless Dinosaurs and the Hip-Hop Simulacrum

Abstract

This article offers considerations for music teachers interested in including hip-hop music in their classrooms but who might feel concerned with or overwhelmed by issues of appropriateness. Two concerns related to hip-hop music are examined: language and negative social themes. Commercial interests in hip-hop music have created a simulacrum (or simulated reality) on which many music educators’ concerns may be based. Suggestions are included for workarounds and direct engagement with these issues.