Hip Hop Can Save America!
Inspiration For The Nation From A Culture of Innovation
Summary
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Chapter 0. Introduction
- Chapter 1. The Foundation | Dr. Bettina Love
- Chapter 2. The Empath | Dr. Ian Levy
- Chapter 3. The Teaching Artist | Mikal Amin Lee
- Chapter 4. The Technologist | Richard Achee
- Chapter 5. The Archivist | Ben Ortiz
- Chapter 6. The O.G. | Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings
- Chapter 7. The Music Man | Jarritt Sheel
- Chapter 8. The Connector | Dr. Andrea Hunt
- Chapter 9. The Peacemaker | Dr. Mark Katz
- Chapter 10. The Bridgebuilders | Gangstagrass
- Chapter 11. The Mentor | Dr. Lauren Leigh Kelly
- Chapter 12. The Storytellers | Christopher Twarowski, Rashed Mian, and Manny Faces
- Chapter 13. (Outroduction) The Advocate | Manny Faces
- Back Cover
·0·
Introduction
I suppose with such an audacious book title, it might make sense to start by providing some context.
Hip Hop Can Save America! is a podcast series that I launched in 2018, emerging as the latest in a series of journalistic properties I had personally developed, joining several others in which I was deeply involved. This project was intensely personal—my newest creation, entirely my own. I conceived it, developed it, booked the guests, conducted the interviews, wrote the intros, edited the audio, produced the theme song, and created the artwork—everything.
While I openly acknowledge my tendency to pontificate endlessly about Hip Hop’s transformative power, this podcast was not about me. Its core mission was to illuminate the groundbreaking work of interdisciplinary innovators who masterfully incorporated Hip Hop music and culture into traditionally unrelated fields. These boundary-crossing practitioners engineered remarkable fusions of knowledge production, creating hybridized approaches that challenge conventional wisdom. Through their work, they demonstrate how Hip Hop’s principles can catalyze tangible improvements in lives, livelihoods, and communities, effectively translating cultural wisdom into practical solutions that resonate far beyond traditional disciplinary confines.
We examine fundamental areas of society—education, health and wellness, science and technology, politics and social justice, business and entrepreneurship, the fine arts, and more. What emerged through this exploration was remarkable: the purposeful, thoughtful integration of Hip Hop into these legacy fields was creating unprecedented opportunities for people to excel and thrive. Even more significantly, this transformative work remained largely unknown to the broader public.
To some readers, this entire premise might seem extraordinarily foreign, and while I believe the chapters to follow will tell the story as clearly as possible, I should establish several fundamental concepts that will help guide our exploration of this book’s ultimate purpose: to inspire educators, students, community leaders, parents, changemakers, businesspeople, well-meaning politicians, activists, and any member of the general citizenry seeking innovative approaches to address, alleviate, and potentially eliminate our most pressing societal challenges.
While my journey has evolved to encompass substantial independent scholarship, I approach these topics not as a traditional academic, but as a devoted student and chronicler of Hip Hop’s transformative power. The theories and background I present might appear revolutionary to some, yet merely introductory to others—and that’s precisely where my role as an advocate journalist finds its purpose. Rather than providing the most rigorous academic analysis, I aim to serve as a bridge, introducing ideas that many might recognize anecdotally and, where possible, connecting them to traditional canonical frameworks.
In this endeavor, I’ve been privileged to collaborate with brilliant scholars and thought leaders who lend their expertise throughout this book, enriching these connections with their deep insights, gleaned from their on-the-ground experience. Yet this is Hip Hop we’re discussing—a cultural force that often defies conventional academic categorization. Not everything here gets tied up neatly with a perfect academic bow, nor should it. Some scholarly leniencies will be required, as I frequently lead with a journalist’s passionate pursuit of truth rather than the measured restraint typically expected of academic researchers. This approach allows us to explore these innovations with both the rigor they deserve and the authentic energy that Hip Hop demands.
Overall, my hope is that these preliminary insights will inspire deeper exploration. The field of Hip Hop Studies isn’t theoretical or brand new—it’s an established field of inquiry. Similarly, the capacity of Hip Hop to positively influence academia, healthcare, technology, commerce, and human interaction has been demonstrated repeatedly, to varying degrees. There are plenty of receipts. I’ve worked diligently to ensure that each focus area within this book can be supported by substantial literature, enabling readers to pursue deeper understanding of their particular interests.
But as previously noted, a major impediment to looking toward these examples for inspiration, is that many remain unaware that this type of work even exists in the first place. So we should start here, by providing some of the background that readers should consider as they approach this book and its larger America-saving thesis. Again, to some, this may be preaching to the choir. To others, these concepts might be epiphanies.
The first one is the big one: Hip Hop is a culture of innovation.
#ForTheCulture
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “culture” as “the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group.” It further adds that “culture” represents “the set of values, conventions, or social practices associated with a particular field, activity, or societal characteristic.”
To many, Hip Hop is simply a genre of music, often referred to simply as “rap.” While Hip Hop—the genre—is indeed synonymous with rap music, rap music is but one aspect of Hip Hop—the culture. To wit, Merriam-Webster defines “Hip Hop” as “a cultural movement associated especially with rap music,” which makes sense, as people who consider themselves connected to Hip Hop do, in fact, adhere to a set of beliefs, social forms, and material traits. A main throughline of this book, however, is that the general public has a very limited understanding of what those actually are, and might be surprised to learn that, in their entirety, they represent a full-fledged culture, just as worthy of study, dissection, critique, praise, and advocacy as any other social or cultural movement throughout history.
This sentiment is echoed by institutions of higher education who also denote Hip Hop as a culture and have incorporated Hip Hop coursework, fellowships, and archives into their hallowed halls—institutions including Yale University, Harvard University, Cornell University, Howard University, The Ohio State University, Georgia State University, The University of Wisconsin, and many more. Loyola University in New Orleans offers a Bachelor of Science in Hip Hop and R&B. The Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University offers a Bachelor of Music in Hip Hop. Long-standing cultural institutions recognize Hip Hop’s significance as well, including The Smithsonian Institution, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, and the American Museum of Natural History. This understanding is global, evidenced by the existence of venues such as La Place: Centre Culturel hip-hop de la Ville de Paris, initiatives like the Heal The Hood project in South Africa, and Die Urbane: Eine HipHop Partei, a German political party based on Hip Hop values.
Perhaps most importantly, Hip Hop is considered a culture by its cultural participants. The very essence of Hip Hop’s cultural legitimacy manifests in the profound sense of belonging expressed by those who claim it as their own philosophical, spiritual, or social identity, regardless of their connection to any form of artistic output. Just as one need not be a ceremonial dancer to be part of Indigenous cultures or a master chef to claim Italian heritage, Hip Hop’s cultural authenticity is validated through the lived experiences and conscious identification of its adherents. What we witness in Hip Hop is the embodiment of what anthropologists term “cultural self-determination”—where the act of claiming cultural membership, understanding its values, and living within its philosophical framework constitutes legitimate participation. This truth resonates deeply with my own journey of cultural understanding, as well as countless other individuals who embody Hip Hop’s core principles in their daily lives.
This brings to mind what Dr. Toby Jenkins has called a “Hip Hop mindset,”1 a uniquely radical lens through which one sees the world, consistently challenging established realities while embracing the art of resourceful reinvention. Drawing from the culture’s oft-lauded principle of “making something from nothing,” those who internalize Hip Hop’s worldview often develop an extraordinary capacity to perceive unconventional solutions that others might overlook. This perspective, born from the culture’s legacy which produced turntables as instruments, public parks as concert halls, and street corners as universities, cultivates a distinctive problem-solving methodology that thrives on creative recontextualization.
When applied to fields ranging from education to healthcare to technology to entrepreneurship, this Hip Hop-informed mindset manifests as a powerful tool for innovative thought. The culture’s emphasis on “remixing” doesn’t just suggest alternative solutions—it fundamentally restructures how problems themselves are perceived and approached.
We’re going to explore several examples of what this looks like in practice throughout this book, across several disciplines. Most will focus on direct, interdisciplinary integrations of Hip Hop music, culture, and spirit into fields and institutions that have often been quite resistant to change or modernization. We will hear directly from practitioners who have incorporated Hip Hop into their work, their testimonies documenting how these innovations have directly impacted and improved lives, particularly, but not exclusively, the lives of young people from communities that have been historically underserved, under-resourced, and under-loved by the proverbial powers that be.
All of which leads to the second big concept I would ask that you keep in mind as you allow me to lead you on this journey, one which closely mirrors the one I myself took to arrive at this place of optimism and advocacy: Hip Hop really can help save America.
This Is America
Back to the audacious book title. Suggesting that something can “save America” implies many things. First, it implies that America needs saving. Considering the messaging of the 2024 U.S. presidential election cycle, and the extraordinary focus, from both major party lines, on the need to “protect our democracy,” it can certainly be argued that regardless of your political affiliation, you probably felt as if the country needs saving.
Many still do.
Still, the podcast, and by extension, this book, aren’t necessarily partisan. The question really becomes, “Well, what does America need saving from?”
To me, and therefore what the premise of the podcast became, was primarily to examine areas in which the application of Hip Hop music, culture, and spirit was showing promise in saving America from its own legacy set of deep-rooted disparities, namely racial and class divides across areas such as education, healthcare, the economy, and interpersonal relationships, and how reducing or removing those disparities could help lift the country toward its storied, yet still wholly unrealized potential.
This book will demonstrate ways in which the vast social and cultural movement known as Hip Hop can indeed inspire inclusive, loving, caring, innovative ways of correcting those long-standing chasms of inequity—even as we grapple with the thought that this isn’t necessarily what everyone in America wants.
For those that do, the third and final point to consider throughout this journey is that saving America through Hip Hop won’t look (or sound) anything like what most people think.
They Reminisce Over You
In October 2016, a 35-year-old man died in Las Vegas.
A week later, a memorial event at an iconic New York City performance venue overflowed with people paying tribute to this man.
He was, among other things, a musician, songwriter, recording artist, and activist. Those who spoke in his honor included fellow activists who had worked alongside him to combat human rights violations in places like Cuba and Palestine. Others were members of Justice League NYC and Copwatch, organizations he had partnered with to help address police brutality and discriminatory law enforcement practices. Many in attendance were his musical comrades, including a collective of rap artists who pledged to continue the public performance series he founded—one that entertains tens of thousands of people annually at no cost.
This man’s disdain for injustice manifested not only through his music but through his actions. He invited criminal justice reform organizations to staff information tables at album release parties. He marched through New York streets, standing arm in arm with other artists and protesters in response to the death of Eric Garner, the Staten Island man who died while being forcibly apprehended by members of the New York Police Department. He contacted organizations on the ground in Ferguson, Missouri, to coordinate New York-based protests in response to the police killing of eighteen-year-old Michael Brown.
At his memorial, friends and collaborators spoke of his unwavering optimism and inspirational energy. “He saved my life,” said one. “He helped me find my purpose,” said another. Dozens of people from various disciplines and walks of life spoke emotionally about the positive impact this man had made in their personal and professional lives.
The man’s name is Daniel “Majesty” Sanchez, and he touched these lives through Hip Hop.
Majesty’s is one of countless significant Hip Hop-related stories from around the world that remain untold. No major media outlets covered his memorial—Hip Hop or otherwise. No mainstream rap superstars paid homage. There were no radio station tributes, despite him residing in the city where once-influential station Hot 97 purported to be “Where Hip-Hop Lives.”
Yet, to the hundreds directly affected and the thousands throughout the world who collectively mourned this notable man’s loss, Majesty personified Hip Hop.
He is among the first people I think of when I hear critics decry the substance, lack of talent, authenticity, or activism in “today’s Hip Hop.” He quickly comes to mind when those unfamiliar with the genre’s depth degrade it, dismissing any notion that it could contain more than misogynistic, vice-riddled, self-destructive, talentless drivel.
These elements do exist in Hip Hop. Yet knowing what Majesty and countless others across multiple disciplines have accomplished utilizing Hip Hop music, culture, and spirit in ways far removed from the corporate-controlled rap music industrial complex, we must consider: Inasmuch as it has influenced music, radio, popular culture, fashion, and advertising to create industries and benefit commerce, can we afford to ignore Hip Hop’s potential to positively influence other areas such as education, healthcare, technology, politics, entrepreneurship, fine arts, and spirituality in ways that benefit the citizens of the nation that birthed it?
As I’ve already hinted, I found the answer to be a resounding, “No!”
I came to this realization many years ago during my time as founder and editor-in-chief of Birthplace Magazine, an online publication I launched to document Hip Hop music and culture in and around the New York Metropolitan area.
While other media outlets chased flash-in-the-pan trends like the lucrative but creatively stifling rise of “ringtone rap,” or gravitated to areas capitalizing on the economic ecosystems between regional radio and strip clubs, I was chronicling the in-depth, New York-area Hip Hop narrative by highlighting artists and movements that I believed truly represented Hip Hop’s creative ingenuity, challenging naysayers who doubted the ongoing importance of the genre’s spiritual epicenter.
Details
- Pages
- VIII, 294
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9783034352123
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9783034352130
- ISBN (Softcover)
- 9783034352147
- DOI
- 10.3726/b22732
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2025 (May)
- Keywords
- Hip hop hip hop studies rap rap music hip hop based education hip hop education hip hop culture society and culture cultural studies Hip Hop Can Save America Inspiration For The Nation From A Culture of Innovation Michael “Manny Faces” Conforti
- Published
- New York, Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, Oxford, 2025. viii, 294 pp.
- Product Safety
- Peter Lang Group AG
