Abstract
This qualitative study examines how the absence of Critical Hip-Hop Pedagogy (CHHP) within academic institutions shapes students’ sense of belonging, motivation, and engagement by regulating which forms of cultural capital are deemed legitimate. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and focus groups with students, educators, scholars, and members of the hip-hop generation, this research adopts an interpretivist framework to center participants’ lived experiences within educational spaces. Informed by Freirean critical pedagogy and Yosso’s theory of community cultural wealth, the study situates schooling as a site where America’s soft power operates through curriculum design, disciplinary norms, and definitions of deviance. Findings reveal that the exclusion of hip-hop as a critical pedagogical framework contributes to cultural alienation, self-monitoring, and disengagement among students, particularly students of color, low-income backgrounds, and queer identities. Conversely, the intentional implementation of CHHP—through student voice, embodiment, reflexivity, and community-based learning—was associated with increased motivation, participation, and feelings of belonging. This study argues that hip-hop functions not only as cultural expression, but as a counter-hegemonic pedagogical practice that challenges dominant knowledge hierarchies and reimagines academic legitimacy.
Recommended Citation
Lindsay, M. (2026). “Hip-Hop permeates everything I do:” The Intersections of Global Politics, Hip-Hop, and Education. Black Educology Mixtape "Journal", 4(1). Retrieved from https://repository.usfca.edu/be/vol4/iss1/15