ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 provides a brief introduction to Hip Hop history and culture as well as a discussion of the need to include popular culture and critical Hip Hop literacies in secondary classroom teaching. In addition to describing the author’s experiences of developing Hip Hop-based pedagogies and practices across the classrooms in which she taught, this chapter also includes a glossary of the language that will be used throughout the book and critical considerations for teachers regarding language, equity, and identity when working with popular texts and culture in the classroom. This chapter discusses the need for reciprocity between teachers and students and cautions against further marginalizing or essentializing students from minoritized communities through Hip Hop-based pedagogy. The author also shares strategies for locating and preparing song lyrics for use in classroom lessons.
