Yesterday I listened to a Living Proof podcast from the University of Buffalo's School of Social Work. The interviewees were Drs. Raphael Travis and Anne Deepak and they spoke about Empowerment in Context: Lessons from Hip Hop Culture for Social Work Practice.
Drs. Travis and Deepak had an interesting point of view about Hip Hop culture and how it can be used in social work practice on both a micro and macro level to better understand diverse populations. They advise both students of social work and practioners to seek to understand hip hop culture so as to better understand young people.
Hip Hop culture is actually much more broad than the music itself; it includes:
- MCing or rapping
- DJing or scratching turntables to play music
- Rural art (often described as graffiti)
- Breakdancing
The biggest misconception about Hip Hop music is that it is "gangster" music, i.e., that it is only about drugs and violence and that it has no artistic merit whatsoever. Regretfully, the media tends to predominately portray such a negative image.
Drs. Travis and Deepak recommend listening for the following themes/framework when listening to Hip Hop music:
Individual Empowerment
1. Self-esteem
2. Resilience
3. Personal growth
Collective Empowerment
4. Community development
5. Social change/action
This would enable social workers to gain not only a deeper appreciation and understanding of what the particular songwriter is trying to convey but also to see its appeal to the youth or young adults with whom they are working. This, in turn, may be very helpful in rapport establishment. Teenagers, in particular, tend to enjoy sharing information about the songs they like.
Dr. Travis also referred to the 5 C's for positive youth development:
- Competence
- Confidence
- Connection
- Character
- Caring
This is because as the individual feels better, he or she is more likely to serve as a role model to others and to contribute to the surrounding community, thereby improving it.
Below is an example of one Hip Hop song Dear Mama by 2pac Shakur. I tried listening to this song within this new recommended framework. As I did, I could hear 2pac Shakur expressing his deep appreciation to his mother for all that she did on his behalf as well as the theme of resilience. His mother had gone through many hardships to raise him and he wishes he could somehow repay her for all that she has done. I think 2pac Shakur found his mother's strength inspiring as he was growing up. As you listen to this song, what key themes are you hearing expressed?
Based upon the podcast and my little experiment listening to Dear Mama with new eyes (or new ears to be more exact), I can envision using Hip Hop and/or music in general as one method for establishing rapport with youth from diverse backgrounds. However, I would feel that for it to really be an effective means for me, I would have to become well versed with the main songwriters of Hip Hop. Otherwise, I would run the risk of having no clue until I would return home and google the songwriter's name and music!
What do you think about the idea of learning about Hip Hop culture as a way of building rapport with teenage and/or young adult clients? And/or what way(s) have you used to build rapport with young clients from different backgrounds that have been effective? Please share your comments and thoughts below :)
You May Also Enjoy:
Social Work and Music Therapy
Religion and Spirituality as a Source of Strength for African Americans
Talking About Religion and Spirituality w/African Americans
Art Therapy - The Power of Art in Healing
Are Some Therapeutic Impasses Unavoidable?
Source: University of Buffalo School of Social Work
Living Proof Podcast #53
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