Breaking the silence: how SPC rappers during the 80s, 90s, and 2000s dismantled racism for Black students in K–12 education

Aaron Nance

Chapter 14 in Handbook of Social Justice in Education, 2026, pp 206-218 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Systemic racism is a societal norm that continues to permeate throughout the US. Socially and politically conscious rappers, such as Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Public Enemy, and Tupac, challenged societal norms by voicing their concerns through their lyrics, which changed the trajectory of African Americans. Hip-hop artists used their environments and circumstances to advocate for justice and equality in the Black community. “The Message,” performed by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, emphasized discrepancies within our justice and educational systems. We position ourselves to analyze how these rappers used their lyrical prose in making systemic changes in the Black community and to show how hip-hop can be used in K–12 classrooms to assist students in learning about their social stratification.

Keywords: Hip-Hop; Black Students; Racism; K–12 Education; SPC Rappers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035318445
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