Could Hip Hop be soon as common in HS & College Curriculum as Computers are?

A unique educational Hip Hop program offered at Los Angeles public school has received the green light to expand to other schools and colleges. The Global Awareness through Hip Hop Culture Program is one of the only full time educational Hip Hop programs in the country being offered as an elective to 7th and 8th grade students.

Sebastien Elkouby, founder of the Urban Youth Empowerment Foundation, an organization which uses Hip Hop culture as a tool for youth empowerment, created this program to address the educational crisis that affects approximately 50% of inner-city students throughout many major urban centers across the nation. “For a variety of reasons, many students feel disconnected from the traditional educational process and ultimately give up,” said Elkouby. “This program helps students develop a sense of global awareness and critical thinking skills by using Hip Hop culture and Rap music to analyze pop culture, current events, and social issues, while simultaneously teaching language arts, history, social studies, cultural diversity, and geography. Using Hip Hop as a medium to reach students makes sense considering they have such a strong connection to it.”

With the programs success over the last two years, high schools and colleges have now jumped on Elkouby’s tip and want to include the course as part of their curriculum. As a result of the recent interest, the program has been restructured to also meet the needs of high school and college students a like.