Rap Research Lab

Picasso, Baby!, a network graph visualizing connections between rappers and the modern and contemporary painters they name drop in their rhymes. Created by Tahir Hemphill.

Picasso, Baby!, a network graph visualizing connections between rappers and the modern and contemporary painters they name drop in their rhymes. Created by Tahir Hemphill.

Context
The Rap Research Lab (RRL), is a creative technology studio based in the South Bronx of New York City that explores rap as a cultural indicator through educational multi-media interrogations.

Tahir Hemphill created the Lab and its searchable database, The Hip Hop Word Count, which pulls information from hip-hop songs spanning 1979 to the present day. RRL’s worked within and around historical legacy communities foundational in the development of hip hop culture and it’s varied expressions, providing low-income neighborhoods democratized access to understanding how cultural data (big data and thick data) can become a tool for various forms of literacy, political agency, and play.

My Role
I was a Game Design Fellow and Mixed Media Educator working across two modes:

  • Working directly with leaders in the NYC Parks Department I developed and refined a RRL curriculum and activities ready for implementation at NYC Parks locations throughout the 5 boroughs. I facilitated professional development trainings and mentorship of NYC Parks Deptartment leaders, oversaw media educator training, implemented rubrics, assessment structures and technical mastery reviews.

  • I supported classrooms of middle and high school students in the process of decoding the meaning and narratives embedded in the language of the most influential art form for global youth—the corpus of American literature created by rap artists.