The Week in Rap
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By Debra Lau Whelan -- School Library Journal, 11/19/2008 2:10:00 PM
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Flocabulary's founders, Alex Rappaport (right) and Blake Harrison. |
Alex studies music at Tufts and Blake studied English at UPenn. What made you guys start a site that uses hip-hop to foster literacy?
Blake: We met in San Francisco. I was writing a novel and Alex was writing music for films and TV. To pay the bills, we ended up waiting tables at the same restaurant. One day, I mentioned an idea that I’d had back in high school. The idea was that someone should write rap songs that use and define SAT words. I thought it could be a fun way to approach something that most students dread.
Alex: I quickly said that that someone should be us—we should create the songs. That conversation was the beginning of Flocabulary, a music project that teaches students through hip-hop songs and related curricular materials. As of now, we have nine different programs that teach language arts, social studies, math, and science in grades 3–12. Our goal is to engage and motivate students through this new medium.
The "Week in Rap" is pretty ingenious. Who came up with that one?
Blake: The "Week in Rap" is an idea that we had a few years ago. Since then, we have been tweaking the concept and deciding how we could pull it off. We ended up launching in mid-September of this year.
Alex: The goal of the project is to get students excited about the news and current events by providing the headlines in a fun and accessible format. While the song and video are a starting point, we provide links to the complete stories in the lyrics.
Who decides what goes into the "Week in Rap"?
Alex: The rapper who writes the song combs through the major headlines and does his best to come up with a balanced, objective summary. We try to give a taste of what's happening in politics, world news, finance, sports, pop culture, etc.
What about the lyrics?
Blake: I write the songs half the time, trading off with a rapper from Atlanta named Dillon Maurer. Alex gets to play editor a little bit, reviewing the song and rewrites for lines that don’t work as well.
Tell us more about the rappers.
Blake: The rappers who write the songs also perform them. So, as of right now, that is either me or Dillon. We are in the process of bringing more artists into the process. A variety of artists are writing the music (including Alex). Our intern, Lassandra Smith, edits the videos each week.
The lyrics are amazingly catchy and smart. Did you agree that it had to sound and look authentic or kids wouldn't have been interested?
Alex: Absolutely. We try to make all of our music sound credible and professional. The moment a student thinks our music is corny or childish is the moment we lose them as listeners and as students in the educational process.
Blake: One thing we love about rap music is that it offers an amazing platform for clever lyrics. So we try to do what the best rappers do: fill our bars with similes, wordplay, and creative references. When students smile and learn something, we know we’re doing our job.
Are some people surprised to see that you’re both Caucasian?
Blake: Some people may be surprised, but I think most people out there understand the popularity of hip-hop, know that it reaches and speaks to people of all races and backgrounds. Hip-hop music has now become a worldwide phenomenon. In the end, we choose to create this music because we love it.
What feedback have you gotten?
Alex: The feedback from teachers has been amazing. They're saying that these songs are the perfect way to spark discussions and debates. We think it will work particularly well in social studies classrooms. Students have also posted comments saying that the site is a great way to stay connected with the news.
Where do you get funding from?
Alex: As of right now, Flocabulary is funding the project, but we are looking for a sponsor. We are committed to keeping this a free resource for teachers, so at a certain point we'll need some third-party support. Our hope is that an educational foundation or corporate sponsor will see the value of it and step up.
Who’s your ideal target audience?
Alex: We target teachers and students, but we see the value in targeting the general public as well. These songs tend to be funny and people will enjoy that. Besides, I'm sure there are people of all ages that could be more engaged with the news. Down the line, we may team up with another company to get it distributed on a larger network.
What age group is this appropriate for?
Alex: We would say middle school students through adults. Ideally, middle and high school students will be our audience.
What do you hope kids will get out of this site that they wouldn't get elsewhere?
Blake: We hope that they find some motivation to dig deeper. We know a lot of people who are intimidated by a newspaper and find the evening news boring. This project is supposed to be a jumping-off point for students who are interested in current events but might not be motivated to learn.
How are you promoting the site?
Alex: In addition to promoting the site in the press, we let teachers know about it at academic conferences and through the Flocabulary Web site and newsletter. If you're a teacher or you know one, spread the word! You can learn more about these projects at www.flocabulary.com and www.theweekinrap.com.
How many viewers do you have so far?
Blake: Our viewers are national, and we have steady traffic. To be honest, though, we haven’t done much of an analysis since the site is so new. We anticipate our traffic to build.
