Rappers’ (special) education revelations: A Black feminist decolonial analysis

Abstract

Using methods informed by ethnomusicology, this study highlights lyrical themes in songs and visual imageries created by Black rappers who attended public schools in the United States. Our analysis reveals the anti-Blackness and ableism these artists encountered and uncovers ideologies conflating Blackness, disability, and inferiority within school-based contexts. The lyrics include rappers' autobiographical accounts, interpretations of first-person narratives, or stories about P-12 students and educators. We begin by situating ourselves as three Black scholars with distinctive geographical and generational entry points into Hip Hop and US special education. We anchor our analysis with Black feminist and decolonial theories that function as the conceptual framing for our contribution to (Black) curriculum studies. We found six lyrical themes spanning across four decades and varying US regions where rap music rose to national prominence. Black rappers offer revelations about curricular choices, school quality and funding, parent engagement, teacher–student dynamics, rappers as public pedagogues, and flipping the script on disability categories and differences. We conclude by providing recommendations and provocations for curriculum studies, curriculum workers, and special educators who examine the intersections of anti-Black racism and ableism.

Keywords:

• Special education
• Hip Hop, Black curriculum theory
• disabilities
• Black feminism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mildred Boveda

Dr. Mildred Boveda is an Assistant Professor of Special Education and Cultural and Linguistic Diversity at Arizona State University. Drawing on intersectionality as conceptualized by Black feminist theorists, she interrogates how differences are framed across education communities. Dr. Boveda earned an Ed.D. in Exceptional Student Education at Florida International University and an Ed.M. in Education Policy and Management from Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Johnnie Jackson

Johnnie Jackson is a PhD candidate at Miami University in the Department of Educational Leadership. His research focuses on critical race masculine currere, study abroad, and Black internationalists. He is a community accountable scholar in his hometown of Marion, Ohio where he helped co-found Community Voices, a Grassroots Leadership program for working-class adults.

Valencia Clement

Valencia Clement is a doctoral student and poet at Arizona State University. She graduated from Vanderbilt with a B.S. in Human and Organizational Development and an M.P.P. in Higher Education Policy while working in student affairs. Her scholarship focuses on informal learning spaces, especially for Afro-diasporic communities.