Blog post 6

For my article group I chose hiphop and literacy. One of the articles that I read that I found the most interesting was the one titled “For the Love of It.” I really liked what the article was about and the study that followed three rappers and what hiphop was all about to them. Hip hop in terms of literacy can be an effective tool. Hip hop in the form of poetry and lyrics utilizes some literary practices that schools (in the subject of English) teach their students. Verse, rhyme scheme, metaphors, similies, etc. can be identified in hip hop/ rap songs as they can be in more academic or formal poetry. Students are using the tools given to them in a different way, a way that they can relate and express themselves, while showing that they do indeed grasp the literary concepts they are being taught. Depending on the content of their work (hip hop songs and poetry), they can also teach by presenting their own views of the world around them and painting their background, where they came from, which may be different from where their peers came from. Through the form of hip hop they are telling their story and shedding light on the issues that are important to them and that they have personally experienced, educating those that are not like them and come from a totally different walk of life. Until you read or hear somebody’s thoughts you have know idea where they come from, what they have gone through and have had to deal with, or what is important to them and how they view the world.