Photo credit. Tierney Marie Mountain

Dr. André BenitoMountain’s path to The Hip Hop Museum is as layered as a sample-heavy beat: from being sampled on an album raising funds for The Museum years ago, to leading a school in Atlanta, to now building educational platforms that ensure Hip Hop is studied with the same academic rigor as traditional art forms. Through programs like Flow Academy and MC Squared Master Classes, he’s helping teachers and students alike appreciate the literary depth in artists like Masta Ace and Lauryn Hill, as well as the cultural connections between graffiti art and fine art.

We caught up with Dr. Mountain to talk about his role with The Hip Hop Museum, why Masta Ace’s lyrics work so well in the classroom, and what it will mean to him to see The Hip Hop Museum open its doors.

Adam Aziz: Can you start by introducing yourself and telling us what you do with the Museum?

Dr. André Benito Mountain: I’m the Director of Education for The Museum. My role is to develop a curriculum related to The Museum, its culture, and its artifacts and to create programming that can be delivered to schools, engaging students and empowering teachers to bring Hip Hop into the classroom. 

I also build networks and relationships with colleges around the country as we see a significant push to integrate Hip Hop into academics. This allows those who want to pursue careers in the culture or its business side to gain a deeper understanding of it at the collegiate level. 

AA: How did you come to get involved with The Museum?

ABM: It’s a crazy story. Years ago, there was an album that came out called ’16 Bars for Hip Hop’ to help raise money for The Museum. My voice was sampled on one of those tracks. I had been giving lectures around the country on Hip Hop and education. At the time, it was the Universal Hip Hop Museum. It was the first time I had heard about The Museum, and I thought it was a great idea. I had no idea I would end up working at The Museum years later. I ended up working with The Museum because I had been doing work in and around schools, incorporating Hip Hop, building Hip Hop literacy labs, and speaking to teachers about how to bring Hip Hop culture into the classroom in a meaningful way where it’s not cultural appropriation.

In doing all that, I came across a job posting that said Director of Education. I spoke with my wife and friends, and I considered applying, but at the same time, I was running a school in Metro Atlanta. I ended up applying because I knew I was leaving the school, and I wanted to do something different, and here I am!

AA: Why is Hip Hop such a good learning tool?

ABM: Because it’s a global power that connects with people on so many different levels, whether you’re into dance, whether you’re into the music, the beat side of it, or the graffiti art. Or if you just want a vehicle to tell your story. 

There are so many times young people feel like they’re not being heard. Hip Hop is a way where you can be heard not only by your peers but by the older generation, and they can hear the struggles that you’re going through in your particular neighborhood, whether that’s in Angola, Nigeria, Cuba, Costa Rica, or the Bronx. 

AA: Who are some of the Rap artists you lean on for teaching in your classroom?

ABM: Masta Ace is one of my go-to artists because of his lyrics, and his career spans generations. But also, his music speaks to stories and themes that I can relate to and that many kids can relate to. What he chooses to write about are things that folks can relate to. He has a song called “Life Music” that discusses the struggles one goes through and some of the challenges his friends have faced in life. He also has a song called “Son of Yvonne” about having an overprotective mother who wants you to do well. These are things everybody can relate to.  I’ve been able to develop a significant amount of curriculum content based on his lyrics.

Another person is Lauryn Hill. Lauryn has a body of work that is easily translatable into the classroom. She’s so talented, and when I bring those artists in, I juxtapose them with older artists. So we might look at and listen to Lauryn Hill alongside Nina Simone. We might look to Masta Ace alongside James Baldwin or Langston Hughes because what I’m doing is showing students this literary tradition that exists within the African-American community of telling one’s story and having a voice. 

AA: Do you think modern Rap music has fewer teachings and knowledge in it, or has the style and delivery method simply changed?

ABM: Styles change, and your ear has to evolve as well. I think there are artists out today who also do a great job of guiding, teaching, telling stories, and raising awareness. I love some of the things that J. Cole puts out. I love some of the things that Joey Badass writes about. There’s an artist named Lyric Jones; I love her work.

AA: How do you go about bringing the other elements of Hip Hop, like graffiti and breaking, into your teachings?

ABM: One of the things I made sure I did as a principal, and I still do as a teacher, is make sure students understand more contemporary artists. And those include artists like Keith Haring, and artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat. And those are the images that you would see around my classroom. I ensured that our art teacher would teach students about more contemporary artists and graffiti art, showing them segments of documentaries like Style Wars. 

They have to understand that what you see on these walls is very complex, and there are very sophisticated techniques involved in that. It’s not just spraying on a wall when you are looking at shading and angles and all of those things, and the types of spray cans that are used. I’m just ensuring that students have a thorough understanding of the culture in all its aspects. And I’ve tried to do that in my classroom as well. I’ve wanted to do that in the last year or so, just working directly with young people, which has been rewarding. 

AA: What are some of the forthcoming educational programs at The Museum that you’re excited about?

ABM: There’s a curriculum that’s being developed for grades 6 to 8 called Flow Academy.  It’s a series of lessons that students and teachers can do in the classroom, and it’s aligned to standards. Another program we offer is MC Squared Master Classes, where we’ve identified MCs and artists who are willing to come in and give a master class. People can log on to The Museum’s website and access these Master Classes. 

Another thing I’m particularly proud of at the collegiate level is that we partner with the Metropolitan College of New York to develop micro-credential courses. And so that’s really what the MC squared means. On the one hand, it means the Master Class, which we’re offering through The Museum. However, on the other hand, it also means the micro-credential courses that we provide through the Metropolitan College of New York, which is partnering with us to create courses that individuals can take through their college, co-created by The Hip Hop Museum.

AA: What will it mean to you when The Hip Hop Museum opens its doors?

ABM: Oh man, that’s gonna be the realization of a dream, to see this culture that pretty much helped raise me to have a home where it’s not an afterthought or something over to the side, but it’s the central focus of this Museum.  

That is so important. Given everything that’s happening in our nation, in our society right now, where certain voices are being muted, it’s great to raise the banner for Hip Hop, a global culture right there in the Bronx. 

AA: What do you want students to take away from visiting The Museum?

ABM: I’ve been watching the movements of Andre 3000 a lot for the last couple of years. And one of the things I love about him is that he doesn’t really engage in social media. In articles and interviews, he shared that he wants to be able to hear his own voice. He doesn’t want to be swept up by what other people are doing. And I think when people come to The Museum, when children come to The Museum, you’re gonna see that Hip Hop has always been about your voice, not being like everyone else, and not doing what everyone else is doing. 

There’s a game that kids play called Follow the Leader, where you do whatever the leader is doing. But one of the most powerful things you can do is stop following and realize that the leader is actually within you.

Follow Dr. André Benito Mountain on Instagram. And look out for his forthcoming book, ‘Follow The Leader’, chronicling his journey from being a school principal to being a teacher and the Director of Education at The Hip Hop Museum.