Hip-Hop Music and History

[John Simkin]

I am writing on behalf of Flocabulary, the first educational publisher to combine hip-hop music with academic content to engage struggling students with history. You have a program that is committed to historical preservation and education, and that you have a great site to convey that message. We also believe that an understanding of history and government is essential for successful students and citizens. Unfortunately, many students have little interest in history because it is remote, locked in the past. Our most recent project, Hip-Hop U.S. History, seeks to change that by telling the stories of history in narrative rap songs.

Praised by Howard Zinn and Cornel West, Hip-Hop U.S. History offers an alternative means of learning and retaining important history subject matter by cultivating the cultural power of hip-hop that is frankly explosive with today’s high school generation. Please feel free to sample some of our music on our site –www.flocabulary.com/hiphopushistory. We’re particularly proud of “Let Freedom Ring,” a groundbreaking single that teaches components of the civil rights movement through samples of Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have A Dream speech.

We want to make educators and students aware that an alternative voice now exists in US History education, and that we’re trying to help students connect with these dramatic stories. If you like what you hear, we want to make our content available to visitors of your site – completely free. This includes music, lesson plans, background, etc…All we ask is that you link back to us. If you’re interested in featuring some content, please don’t hesitate to contact me.