Hegemony, Hope, and the Harlem Renaissance: Taking Hip Hop Culture Seriously

Adult education instructors and administrators, who typically are not members of the hip hop generation, often have little knowledge and understanding of rap music (a.k.a. gansta rap) and hip hop culture, and consequently do not take the black popular cultural phenomenon seriously as it relates to adult education. Adult educators, especially those that serve in urban contexts, must listen to, take seriously, and understand adults in order to bridge the “culture gap” between mainstream and hip hop cultures. Talmadge Guy (2004) theorizes that the impact of hip hop culture and gangsta rap music on adult education is becoming more evident in urban environments as more and more young adults enter adult education programs and bring hip hop and gangsta rap influences into the classroom. As long as a cultural gap exists between professional, paid, and volunteer providers of adult education working in urban contexts and the students, the needs of adult learners will not be met