Hip Hop As History

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The History Department is known for building courses around the questions and subjects that matter to students. That is clear in electives like History of Capital Punishment and Power, Politics & Citizenship—and in the fact that 80 percent of seniors choose to take history beyond the three years required.

Case Study in Social History: Hip-Hop asks students to look at hip-hop not only as music, but as history: a social and creative force shaped by its time and by its powerful influence on today’s society. Recently, that excitement filled a packed lunchtime event led by history teacher Stephon Richardson, who expanded his own DJ practice through a Strategic Innovation Curriculum Grant. Sharing both music and context, he introduced students to the history of hip-hop and the cultural forces that shape it.

Students turned the Upper School Commons into an early 1980s hip-hop party for the second year in a row. Taking on the roles of DJs, MCs, choreographers, and promoters, they worked within the realities of the period and explored how the culture was built. Upper School students interested in hip-hop and beat-making also explored the basics of sampling and music production, gaining practical tools alongside historical understanding.