Tag: hip-hop

Teaching the Kendrick/Drake Beef – Prequel #1 – “Ab Soul’s Outro” – Purpose in a Larger Context

[This post is part 2 of a series - click here for part 1 - Why the Kendrick/Drake Beef is Great for AP Lang – One Line as Proof of Concept] I don’t know if Drake intended to set off the firestorm that eventually happened when he called himself the GOAT on “First Person Shooter” … Continue reading Teaching the Kendrick/Drake Beef – Prequel #1 – “Ab Soul’s Outro” – Purpose in a Larger Context →

Part 2 – If We Shouldn’t Teach Students to “Read Literature Like a Professor,” Then Where Should We Start?

“You come from a long line of great poets, some of the greatest poets since Homer.” -James Baldwin, “A Letter to My Nephew” “Literacy is a process of moments. It isn't a set of skills to be acquired or un-acquired. When students sit down to read or write a text, they are involved in a … Continue reading Part 2 – If We Shouldn’t Teach Students to “Read Literature Like a Professor,” Then Where Should We Start? →

Why the Kendrick/Drake Beef is Great for AP Lang – One Line as Proof of Concept

[This post is part 1 of a series - click here for part 2 – Teaching the Kendrick/Drake Beef – Prequel #1 – “Ab Soul’s Outro” – Purpose in a Larger Context] This last year I developed a unit that presented students with one of the most genuinely difficult challenges I’ve ever presented in 17 years of … Continue reading Why the Kendrick/Drake Beef is Great for AP Lang – One Line as Proof of Concept →

“Brown-Skinned Lady” (Track 6)

[This is part 6 of a longer series – previous track - "Children's Story" - next track - "B Boys will Be Boys"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/XPcdO9CFhWI "Brown-Skinned Lady" is both an ordinary love song and also a deeply intellectual engagement with intersectional feminism. And just like with "Re:Definition," I'm approaching these contexts with humility, as they get to some of … Continue reading “Brown-Skinned Lady” (Track 6) →

“Children’s Story” (Track 5)

[This is part 5 of a longer series – previous track - "Re:Definition" - next track - "Brown-Skinned Lady"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/2CagQFPm3JY The opening four tracks of Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star feel like they form a kind of opening act. The fifth song on the album, "Children's Story," a cover (sort of) of Slick Rick's song … Continue reading “Children’s Story” (Track 5) →

Re:Definition (Track 4)

[This is part 4 of a longer series – previous track - "Definition" - next track - "Children's Story"] https://www.youtube.com/embed/fr6SrRQnZv4 "Definition" (youtube/spotify) and "Re:Definition" (youtube/spotify) roll together like one continuous track, but also like 2 mirror images: "Definition" is joyful and celebratory; "Re:Definition" is "turnin' your play into a tragedy." The key change (and subtle downshift in rhythm) … Continue reading Re:Definition (Track 4) →

Track 1 of Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star – “Intro”

[This is part 1 of a longer series – next post “Interlude” - next track - "Astronomy (8th Light)"] “We know that we know how to make some music and that music ain't supposed to stand still…” Mos Def and Talib Kweli, “Intro” “I found my only chance for life was in flight.” Narrative of the Life of … Continue reading Track 1 of Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star – “Intro” →

Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star Writing Project – Overview

` “In the jungle with the leaders — we them lions, you the cheetahs. A cipher will complete us as we come through your receiversYou can play us and repeat us, and then take us home and read us” - Mos Def and Talib Kweli, “Definition” Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star, the … Continue reading Mos Def and Talib Kweli are Black Star Writing Project – Overview →