Hip-hop and the academic canon

Abstract

Over the last 30 years, the hip-hop movement has risen from the margins to become the preeminent force in US popular culture. In more recent times academics have begun to harness the power of hip-hop culture and use it as a means of infusing transformative knowledge into the mainstream academic discourse. On many college campuses, hip-hop’s influence has begun to extend beyond the classroom. Hip-hop think tanks and archives have been established as instructors have recorded and released hip-hop albums. Hip-Hop based cultural groups have begun appearing, and several campuses have hosted hip-hop conferences. As hip-hop increasingly permeates the highest levels of the academy, its effectiveness as curriculum continues to gain credibility. Consequently, it has begun to seep down the educational ladder in the form of curriculum for high school and junior high students. This unique cultural movement continues to carve out a significant space for itself in the transformative academic movement.