Hip Hop Can Save America

Hip-Hop just might be the most malleable of musical genres -- it is built off of the foundations of so many other genres, and is itself perhaps the most mashiest up of all musical mashups -- so by its very nature, blending in other genres -- from jazz to Latin to classical have often proven to be often surprisingly fluidAnd if you are the type to consider its literary qualities, the same could be said about its immense spectrum of subject matter. Indeed, Hip-Hop easily rivals most traditional literary movements in its ability to encapsulate so much of the human condition within its linguistic art.When done right, these artistic conglomerates can be creative, inventive, inspiring, and help build intellectual and musical bridges. Think Hamilton’s merging of Hip-Hop and traditional American musical. Or Guru’s Jazzamatazz series. With all of this though, there are still certain combinations that, to many, are simply too much oil and water. Too incompatible. You won’t hear a lot of Polka Rap after all.Country music was once considered this sort of Hip-Hop antithesis. Musically it’s not impossible -- generally a 4/4 style of music, more influenced by pop these days -- it COULD be done… Perhaps the perceived divides -- both in musical taste and often, ideology-- between the demographics of the fans of each of these respective genre made the idea less tolerable than say, rap and rock.Also, attempts at mashing up rap and rock have, for a variety of reasons, been traditionally well-received. Rap and country, not so much.Credit is due, of course, to Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus for re-opening this door, and though seen to many as a bit gimmicky, the effect on the zeitgeist was unquestionable.Still, in such a polarized world, can there exist a true merging of Hip-Hop and Country -- or even its more traditional subgenre, Bluegrass. One that doesn’t try to sugarcoat those ideological differences between fanbases. One that is unafraid to forcefully address even the most sensitive social justice issues, as Hip-Hop is wont to do, uncompromising even in the face of potentially unwelcoming audiences.But one that does so with the kind of musical authenticity that will influence fans of the genre to open their ears to those messages, and arms to those messengers.Gangstagrass says hell yea, and an enthusiastic fanbase on both sides of the musical aisle, agree. This fusion band is masterminded by singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer Rench, features banjo playing by Dan “Danjo” Whitener, fiddle playing by Brian “B” Farrow, and lyrical prowess from two MCs, R-Son and Dolio The Sleuth.On the eve of their new single release “Ain’t No Crime,” and a month ahead of their new album, “No Time For Enemies, I spoke at length with B Farrow, R-Son and Dolio to discuss the way their formula for tackling this fabled combination of style and substance can, and should, be taken seriously, perhaps now more than ever.My name is Manny Faces. This is my conversation with Gangstagrass.

Few would disagree that the education system in America could use some tweaking. Maybe large-scale reform. Perhaps even a complete overhaul. Educational output across most metrics fall short of where we probably want to be as a nation, and in some aspects -- particularly with poorer populations and especially communities of color, the outlook is even more discouraging. 2020’s COVID-19 pandemic further exposed flaws in many social systems including education that dramatically exacerbated these issues. Luckily, there are exceptional people who study education -- whose job it is to examine and measure the effectiveness of educators and educational systems in the country. They conduct research, they develop ideas, they train other teachers. Over the past few years, many of them point to a powerful tool that has long been shown to increase capabilities of students across all grade levels and demographics, and particularly among those traditionally underrepresented groups. And while we’re still waiting to see how potentially drastic changes to the educational system as a whole will play out, this tool remains as potent as before -- perhaps more than ever. In April, 2019, as it had been doing for the previous two years, that tool was on full, glorious display at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, in a day-long exploration and celebration of Hip-Hop based Education attended by education professionals and students from all levels ... It exemplified the incredible potential that sits at the intersection of education and the arts, particularly the undisputed youth culture champion of the world. Hip-hop.

Introducing, Hip-Hop Can Save America! Mini-Episodes! Full-length, in in-depth interviews with individuals and organizations using Hip-Hop music and culture to uplift humanity are super important, and I'm honored to be able to do them. I have a bunch more on the way, but in the meantime, there are so many examples of innovative and inspiring events, news items, discussions, calls for papers, and all kinds of information that I think followers of this show would love to hear about, so I'm kicking off Mini-Eps to do just that. They'll also be available as videos on my social media platforms as well, to make sure the most people possible can find out about these Hip-Hop treats. Follow me on Twitter www.twitter.com/MannyFaces and our org at www.twitter.com/HipHopAdvocacy and tell us what YOU'D like to hear more about when it comes to innovative uses of Hip-Hop, and let me know what you think about these more frequent, information-packed mini-episodes. Thanks for your time and support!

On this episode of Hip-Hop Can Save America… Dr. Lauren Kelly teaches teachers how to teach using Hip-Hop -- We speak about why it works, and some things to watch out for. Plus, info on a brilliant, student-led Hip-Hop academic conference coming soon. A lot of our episodes delve into the wide world of hip-hop education. I’ve seen so many examples of how hip-hop music, culture, spirit, and perspective can lift up our young people in educational settings, so I will definitely continue to sing the praises of hip-hop based education. Recently, however, a journal article caught my eye, titled, “When Keeping It Real Goes Wrong: Enacting Critical Pedagogies of Hip-Hop in Mainstream Schools.” It was written by Dr. Don C. Sawyer III of Quinnipiac University and Dr. Lauren Leigh Kelly, Assistant Professor in the Urban Social Justice Teacher Education program at Rutgers University’s Graduate School of Education. I’ve known Dr. Kelly for a minute, and thought her contribution to the article represents a very important facet of Hip-hop based education. Sometimes, we focus so much on the victories, we don’t pay enough attention to when keeping it real, goes wrong, and if we are truly looking for long-term, effective ways to advocate for hip-hop in schools, it’s equally important to pay attention to how we can make these interactions the best they can be. I wanted to know more, and Lauren graciously agreed to come on the show to discuss it in a bit more detail. We also spoke about the incredible Hip-Hop Youth Research and Activism Conference, a student-led event that she founded, which will host its next iteration this May. Here’s my talk with Dr. Lauren Leigh Kelly.

Ben Merlis isn’t a Hip-Hop historian by nature, but he has had his feet in the music business for decades, and since his early days, has been a superfan of rap music, with a particular affinity to the iconic artist collective that emerged from Queensbridge, New York in the late 1980s -- the Juice Crew. Led by the late pioneering radio jock Mr. Magic and amplified into Hip-Hop canon by DJ & producer Marley Marl, this trailblazing crew - which consisted of household rap names like Roxanne Shante, Kool G Rap, Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane and more -- helped put the gold into rap’s Golden Era. While not as commercially successful as other well-known rap labels like Def Jam or Tommy Boy, the Cold Chillin’ imprint was arguably as influential as any in exploding the popularity of the genre. Ben Merlis saw that the story of this legacy was worthy of proper documentation, and has woven together a fascinating look at the inner workings of these game changers in his new book Goin’ Off: The Story of the Juice Crew & Cold Chillin’ Records. Under the occasional rumble of a passing subway train, I spoke with Ben at the Powerhouse Arena bookstore in Brooklyn, New York just before an author talkback session with the public that also featured Juice Crew members Masta Ace and Craig G. Here’s my conversation with Ben Merlis.

A renowned "hip-hop diplomacy" program called Next Level, run by the United States State Department, sends groups of hip-hop teaching artists to places throughout the world as cultural ambassadors. The program is designed to bridge cultural divides, facilitate understanding, and express and heal trauma, all through hip-hop music and culture. On this episode, we hear from its founder, author and professor, Mark Katz.

Jarritt Sheel is an assistant professor of music education at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. He is also a fifth-year doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University in the Music and Music Education Department. He is a professional musician who has toured the world and led youth ensembles in places like Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. He’s particularly interested in how hip-hop music, culture, and pedagogies should be applied in music education and teacher training. Jarritt co-founded the music resource website www.hiphopmusiced.com and is leader of the social media dialogue, #hiphopmusiced. Hip-Hop Can Save America! is brought to you by The Center for Hip-Hop Advocacy and is produced by Manny Faces Media.

On this episode, I'm speaking with Richard Achee. Richard works in Strategic Partnerships at Google, and through Google’s Code Next initiative and a partnership with Rapport Studios, created an initiative called Python MC that uses hip-hop music to teach young people the basics of computer coding. I’ve seen it action several times now, and it’s one of my favorite examples of the intersection between hip-hop and tech. For more about Python MC, visit pythonmc.trinket.io. Also, Rapport Studios creates #engaging & #immersive #learningexperiences harnessing the power of #tech, #media, & #pedagogy to scale empathy & inspire humanity. Visit them at www.rapportstudios.com Hip-Hop Can Save America! is brought to you by The Center for Hip-Hop Advocacy, dedicated to PRESERVING, PROTECTING, AND PROMOTING THE ABILITY OF HIP-HOP MUSIC, CULTURE, AND SPIRIT TO IMPROVE HUMANITY, FIGHT INJUSTICE, INNOVATE INDUSTRIES, AND SAVE LIVES. If you have a product, service, or story you want to get out to a rapidly growing audience of people like you, you can sponsor this podcast. We also accept tax-deductible donations to help make these podcasts and our other work possible. Visit www.hiphopadvocacy.org to learn more, contact us, or contribute. The show is produced by Manny Faces through the award-winning podcast and audio journalism production studio, Manny Faces Media, producers of acclaimed social justice journalism podcast News Beat, as well as several other shows from across the worlds of business, marketing, culture, and more. Visit us at www.mannyfacesmedia.com

For a few days, the Jay-Z / NFL deal was all that anyone in hip-hop or sports was talking about. It was polarizing, and many people felt many types of ways about it. But like a tornado, the ruckus seems to have disappeared as quickly as it came. I think we should be continuing to bring the ruckus.

An update on the future of our groundbreaking Hip-Hop Can Save America! podcast, plus, a quick take on hip-hop, social justice, and the one big mistake Jay Z made... Brought to you by The Center for Hip-Hop Advocacy and produced by Manny Faces Media