UCLA

America owes an 'educational debt' to African American students and students of color due to the historical legacy of inequities found within its public-school system (Ladson-Billings, 2006). To reclaim the cultural integrity of African American students and students of color in general, who are at the margins of curriculum and pedagogical approaches, centering Hip Hop music and culture through its application in an urban classroom is the goal of this work. Driven by the theoretical and pedagogical approaches of both Culturally Relevant and Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy, this work examines one Los Angeles urban classroom based on Hip Hop music and culture. Using qualitative methods and an emphasis on participant observations, I first explore how the Hip Hop classroom provided students with an emotionally and physically safe space. Second, I examine how the curriculum impacted students' critical thinking skills. Finally, I observed how students were assigned and assessed on tasks within the Hip Hop classroom that helped support students' sense of competence. The findings of this study suggest that Hip Hop can be used as a focal point and basis for curricular content, the development of positive student-teacher relationships, the cultivation of both political and social awareness, and to positively influence students' overall engagement in class.