Prepare to Facilitate Lyricism 101

Lyricism 101 programming will provide an opportunity for Club participants to explore hip-hop as an art form, as well as engage in critical literacy and creative writing, and celebrate their diverse identities and communities. Through the lens of hip-hop, particularly ciphers, participants will: 

• Engage in creative self-expression that celebrates identity, community and culture. 
• Build self-esteem and confidence. 
• Analyze, reflect, and respond to hip-hop and literature. 
• Connect close reading and analysis of hip-hop lyrics to standards-based learning content. 
• Have fun!

Teaching Hip-Hop 

Before getting started, it’s worth considering: 

1. Hip-hop, and teaching hip-hop, can be intimidating. 
2. Most of the time, youth will know more than you do about hip-hop. 

These two facts can be daunting. But when approaching this work from a different angle – one that centers on youth voice and utilizes the cipher to equalize the playing field – teaching hip-hop can be exciting and invigorating. 

All facilitators and youth development professionals can be effective hip-hop teachers. That’s because hip-hop not only reflects American culture, but it is also rooted in elements present in local and global cultures. When we authentically connect our own culture and expertise to the parallel touchpoints in hip-hop culture, our cipher can thrive. 

Notes About the Program Design 

Because art forms such as freestyling can be hard to teach, the activities in Lyricism 101 employ a multifaceted approach to inspire creative writing. More importantly, youth build the skills necessary to cultivate more advanced and nuanced writing and rapping. Each session progressively builds more advanced skills as the program unfolds. 

Exercises and activities that are easily accessible expose participants to the work and inspire them to go deeper into the concepts of literacy and culture. Lyricism 101 sessions are diverse and relevant, and they employ a variety of methods to engage Club members. These methods include handouts, writing prompts and close-reading activities. 

Review and become familiar with all aspects of the Lyricism 101 content before leading sessions. Each session includes a stated goal and suggested order of facilitation. However, if you decide to follow a different “flow,” that’s hip-hop! If one activity doesn’t work for your participants, try another. Because the cipher is fluid, we suggest that you be flexible with your sessions.

Many sessions include a Freestyle Free Write activity that will allow participants to explore concepts more deeply. For all free writes, encourage participants to just put the pen to the page and let the words flow.

Sessions 3-9 include a Hip-Hop Spotlight of the day. During this time, participants will learn about various roles one could have in the music industry and the people behind those positions. Additionally, participants will learn that hip-hop and the careers connected to it are diverse: You don’t have to be a rapper to play a significant role in keeping the culture going.

Lyricism 101 activities give teens opportunities to explore themes from different perspectives, and activities may be facilitated as extension exercises. Build in as many opportunities for youth to share as possible. The more opportunities to encourage feedback and dialogue, the better. 

Many of the sessions include close reading and handouts that allow participants to process the work and respond to questions. These tools are connected to English Language Arts Common Core Standards. Lyricism 101 sessions not only help build literacy skills, but they also explore important issues in hip-hop culture. Therefore, it is important to make copies of each handout for all participants. Finally, because most of these sessions are rooted in creative writing, paper and pens are necessary (journal/notebook recommended). 

Lyricism 101 is informed by decades of research and practice, and it incorporates teaching tools that have proven successful in classrooms and after-school programs around the country. Although the program’s title is Lyricism 101, your Club members are on an apprenticeship toward mastery. Many youth have been practicing since birth – and this program meets that challenge, as well. 

Hip-hop is about peace, unity and having fun. So with that, have fun! 

The Research Basis 

Since its inception, hip-hop has been the voice of participants and the otherwise unheard. The youth of today are not unlike their peers of yesteryear who laid the foundation for this art form. They are looking for an opportunity to tell their stories, build community and express their artistic vision. BGCA developed Lyricism 101, using evidence-informed design, to provide participants with opportunities to exercise their voices through hip-hop culture.

This curriculum intentionally includes activities and exercises that build and expand upon literary skill sets. Research indicates that literacy is much broader than the ability to read and write. It is a series of creative and situational acts of knowing, thinking, being and valuing. These acts can generate change (Forell, 2006). Our 21st-century participants use a variety of ways to communicate with each other and the world. Music transcends all methods as participants’ ultimate opportunity to express their creativity and literacy. 

Hip-hop has been characterized as “the cornerstone of today’s popular culture.” “Through rap rhymes and hip-hop lifestyle, young people everywhere are empowered to connect with the world, experiment with language practice, and narrate the story of their own reality" (Forrell, 2006, p.29). Through hip-hop, participants can challenge conformity and become critical thinkers who dissect, internalize and reconstruct knowledge. Those skills are important ingredients in the recipe for developing the entrepreneurial leaders of tomorrow. 

As we strive to create optimal Club experiences for our members, we build environments in which participants can engage in planned activities that reaffirm who they are, and we prepare them for their future as leaders in the world and their communities. This work is facilitated by the caring adults who build healthy and positive relationships with our Club members.

Composing rhymes and ciphers is a process that requires individuals to search for significance in their life, which is often informed by their cultural norms and values (France, 1994). Club professionals are a critical part of the ecosystem that supports and confirms youths’ values. A well-designed program focused on the art of hip-hop and ciphering creates a venue for the transmission and reaffirmation of participants’ cultures. This is particularly significant for children who do not consistently see images of themselves reflected in mainstream media and formalized education. 

A program like Lyricism 101 can reframe ideas about social advocacy and responsibility. Hip-hop was originated to tell the stories of the unheard or silenced. Participants frequently remind us that they are hungry for spaces where they can be their true selves and create their own narratives. Many young people have turned to social media to fill that void, but we know that our Clubs can provide those spaces they long for. Researcher Bettina L. Love believes that hip-hop-based programming allows children to “find their voice as members of a democratic society” (Love, 2014, p. 53).

As participants engage in the cipher, they are exploring how they feel about themselves, their communities and the greater world. Their peers, Club, and cipher community will embrace their thoughts and ideas, which gives youth value and influence. In this space, youth will also challenge the status quo and produce new solutions to the problems that plague our society. The cipher is a place where future leaders are born; it is a true and relevant extension of our youth development work. 

As our members write their ciphers and create their own journals, they are enacting what Gilyard (1996) calls social responsibility. He reminds us that the act of writing is a social responsibility because it leaves an individual’s imprint on the world and gives life to the discourse of future generations. It is our legacy. We hope that through Lyricism 101, our participants will lay the foundation for the powerful voices of tomorrow.