Hip-Hop Lesson 2
Alphabets of Expression
Created by: Deidre Girard – Curriculum Designer, University of Washington
Tiffany Grobelski, Educational Coordinator – KEXP Documentaries
Michele Myers, Producer – KEXP Documentaries
GRADES: 6-8
TIME: Three to five 50-minute sessions
SUBJECT AREAS: Language and Performance Arts, Cultural Studies, Visual Art, Music
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
In this lesson, students will:
-learn about the role and function of graffiti and breakdancing in hip-hop culture.
-use theatrical performance to explore controversies surrounding graffiti.
-make artistic choices and justify them in writing.
-reflect on their own identity.
SKILLS: Public speaking and performance; expressing and supporting opinions in
writing and discussion; analytical listening; critical thinking; independent
research; sketching and painting
MATERIALS:
-Computer(s) with internet access and speakers
-Chalkboard and chalk or whiteboard and markers
-Large roll of kraft paper or empty wall to paint on
-Krink markers
-Paint
-Index cards with graffiti terms (see pages 2 and 3)
-Recording of a basic hip-hop beat
-Graffiti images
-Local graffiti artist and breakdancer (optional)
-Video camera and tripod (optional)
I. INTRODUCTION
If a graffiti artist and breakdancer can visit the class:
Start the class session with the spotlight on the artists. To prepare, set up a
performance area with a wall (covered with kraft paper if you can’t paint directly on the
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wall) in the background. Clear a large space in front of the wall for the dancer and tape
a boundary on the floor for breakdancing. Set up the video camera to record the demo
so you can use it in future lessons. In advance, have the artists agree on a song or two
they would like to have played during their demo.
Have the students sit in a semi-circle around the performance space. Play the music and
let the artists take over. The graffiti artist can show his/her tag and demonstrate
different techniques and styles of letters. The breakdancer can show some basic moves.
After the demo, each artist should introduce her/himself and talk about her/his craft.
They can talk about how they got involved and the key concepts that inform what they
do. They might also talk about how graffiti and breakdancing are connected. Let the
students ask questions.
If a graffiti artist and breakdancer cannot visit the class:
The lesson should begin with a spotlight on graffiti writers and breakdancers. Have the
students sit in a semi-circle around the computer screen. Begin with a series of clips
that combine music, dancing, and graffiti art from a few classic hip-hop films from the
1980s:
-The opening scenes in Wild Style capture the darkness and dangers of writing on
subway trains. Show the first 5:33 of this clip:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4257690214845727133#
-The beginning of Style Wars gives a short introduction to graffiti and the
controversy surrounding it. Show from 1:30-3:42 of this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bixgM7sUVA
-Beat Street captures a breakdancing battle scene between the Rock Steady Crew
and the NYC Breakers at the Roxy nightclub. Show this entire clip, 5:48:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNsMEP0i8aM
Give the students time to react and ask questions.
II. SPEAK RHYTHMICALLY ABOUT GRAFFITI
In this activity students will practice creative public speaking and, using the language of
graffiti, get a sense of hip-hop’s history and cultural traditions. Give each student a card
with one of the terms below on it. Each card should have a term with its definition, plus
another term in BOLD CAPS written on it.
Over a basic beat, each person will perform the definition on his/her card. Here are two
beats that could be used: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1d7BKvBChlM
or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I6bOOUap88&feature=related
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Each student will end by shouting out the BOLD word on the card, cueing the next
student to perform. Students can put the definition in their own words to make it flow
better. Begin and end the activity with the term writer.
Do a practice run first so everyone can feel out the rhythm.
Graffiti Terms:
 all city- Being known for your graffiti throughout an entire city. WHITE
ELEPHANTS
 battle- When writers compete to prove who has the most talent or STYLE.
 bombing- To paint many surfaces in an area, usually with a quick throw-up or TAG.
 buffing- Removing graffiti or painting over it. GOING OVER
 crew – A group of graffiti artists, usually friends who want to work together. Not
necessarily associated with gangs. BATTLE
 getting up – Basic goal in graffiti. Making your work widespread and visible.
Building your reputation as a writer. BOMBING
 going over- Painting on top of or covering someone else’s graffiti. If you want to
disrespect unwritten graffiti etiquette, do this. SLASH
 king- Writers highly respected by other writers. ALL CITY
 piece- A large graffiti painting, like a mural. Often includes 3-D effects, arrows, and
many colors. Requires more time than a THROW UP.
 piece book – Also called black book. A place to practice your art. A place to collect
work of other artists you like. CREW
 slash- Also called going over, crossing out. To tag over or put a line through
someone else’s graffiti. Has also been called capping after the famous writer Cap,
who went over many works on New York subways in the 1970s. TOY
 style – A key to all forms of hip-hop. You want to be creative, whether you’re an MC
on the mic, a B-boy dancing to the music, or a writer painting your name in the city.
You are always in a style competition, with yourself, with other writers, and with the
police. BUFFING
 tag – The most simple type of graffiti. It is a signature, a logo. Usually done in one
color that contrasts with the background. PIECE
 throw-up – More complex than a tag, but still pretty quick. Usually one color of
outline and one layer of fill-in. PIECE BOOK
 toy- A negative term for writers who don’t have skills or experience. Opposite of
KING.
 white elephants – Buffed subway cars. After the last train with graffiti on it was
removed from service in 1989, New York writers called the new graffiti-free trains
white elephants. Some say graffiti was never the same after that. WILDSTYLE
 wildstyle- A complicated form of graffiti that uses overlapping letters, curves, arrows,
shapes, and 3-D elements. To the untrained eye, it can be hard to read. Difficult
wildstyle tags can gain a WRITER respect.
 writer- A graffiti artist. GETTING UP.
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III. LISTEN TO KEXP DOCUMENTARY #5 Fresh Espresso in the Hip-Hop – The
New Seattle Sound series
Students should note important points made in the documentary. Ask them how this
documentary connects to graffiti or breakdancing. Help them flesh out some of these
ideas:
-Hip-hop is a culture that grew out of a particular social-economic situation. When hiphop began in New York’s South Bronx neighborhood, it was about taking a desolate area
and transforming it into something more beautiful. The artistic elements of hip-hop
were creative outlets for young people of color whose surroundings were not exactly
positive.
-Hip-hop, no matter what element you are talking about, is about ―being fresh, looking
crisp, being your own individual.‖ Graffiti writers, B-boys, B-girls, MCs, and DJs need
to have a unique style and make a name for themselves through personal expression.
-An important theme in hip-hop culture is the idea that creating art gives young people
a sense of worth. In the documentary, P Smoov talks about being homeless and poor
but still feeling worth something because of the ideas in his head. In graffiti, getting up
is a way of feeling self-worth.
-We can think of the elements of hip-hop (graffiti, breakdancing, rapping, DJing) as
alphabets—building blocks of a vocabulary that allows people to express themselves.
The elements are not separate, but interconnected. What they have in common is
rhythm and motion. There is rhythm in the beats DJs use, in MC rhymes, in the
movements of dancers, and in the stylized flow of a writer’s name or message (arrows
and tilt create letters that look like they’re in motion).
IV. ACTIVITIES
1. Developing Style. In this activity, each student will create a night-crawling, spraypainting alter ego for him/herself. Each student will come up with a writer name that
says something meaningful about his or her identity.
Start by having the students look at various tags and graffiti alphabets online or in books
(see RESOURCES, page 6). They should look up some well-known writers and try to
find out why they chose the name they did. One writer to start with might be Taki 183,
the first New Yorker to become famous for graffiti writing (http://taki183.net/#).
After they’ve done some exploring, have the students take out one page of lined paper.
Give them 15 minutes to journal about their writer name. Ask them: What about your
identity do you want your name to express? What stylistic aspects (shapes, color,
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design) will your tag include and why? Remind the students that graffiti is about
thinking outside the box, making a statement, and standing out. The journal entry is a
conceptual blueprint and verbal description of the tag.
Pass out blank, letter-sized paper and a krink marker to each student. Have the
students practice their technique and sketch their tag name. When they are done
practicing, have them paint their tag on the kraft paper or wall.
2. Art versus Vandalism Play. In this activity, the students will write, cast, and perform
a short play that gets at the main debates about graffiti: Is it public art or is it
vandalism? Is it positive or negative?
Suggested Cast of Characters:
Main protagonist (students decide writer names/tags)—An amateur
graffiti artist who lives in the city of Seatown and writes graffiti as a way to
fight the corrupt city government.
The Emerald Crew—The main protagonist’s graffiti crew. They have
crew meetings in an abandoned gas station parking lot.
Shawn—A grafitti writer considered to be a toy by other artists in the city.
SeatownVandals —The enemy crew. They have crew meetings at an
abandoned high school.
Miguel—Leader of the Seatown Vandals and a bitter rival of the main
protagonist.
Pred—Miguel’s bodyguard.
Kendra—A friend of Miguel’s who hangs out with the Seatown Vandals
crew.
Mayor Rose—The Mayor of Seatown. Considers graffiti a crime and
does everything s/he can to beautify the city. It is her/his personal
mission to stop the main character. Major Rose is the leader of the city’s
anti-graffiti squad, the Seatown Graffiti Blasters.
Police Chief Davis—Rose’s right hand (wo)man whose only goal is to
get rid of graffiti artists.
Seatown Graffiti Blasters—A graffiti police force that tries to stop
graffiti artists.
How this activity is organized depends on class size, time available, and student
preferences. The entire class should work on writing the play. Start with a discussion
about the debates surrounding graffiti. What are the arguments for and against it? List
these on the board. Given these arguments, ask the students what main message or
theme they think the play should express about graffiti. Work out the basic plot and
scenes on the board, too. Then students can break into three or four groups, and each
group writes one act.
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Once a draft of the script is written, students who do not want to perform can take a
more active role in editing the script or designing the set and costumes. Consider
performing the play for another class or for community members.
V. ASSIGNMENTS – CHOOSE ONE
1. Visual and Language Art Project. Choose (a) or (b):
(a) Make a comic strip with your hip-hop alter-ego as the main character. The
comic strip should have a maximum of 5 frames that combine colored pictures,
captions, and dialogue. Use characters, setting, dialogue, and plot. Your comic
strip should tell the story of an event and express a main idea.
(b) Design a fashion collection for your hip-hop alter-ego. A fashion collection is
a series of outfits or pieces of clothing that a designer uses to showcase certain
trends. It includes a few different types of clothes, from casual activewear to
fancy evening wear. The collection is tied together by certain design elements
such as coordinating colors, cut, and proportion. Your collection can be for
spring, summer, fall, or winter. Include up to 5 pieces.
Regardless of which option you choose, the last step is to write a formal letter to the
editor of your local newspaper/famous fashion magazine. Try to convince the editor to
publish your work. In your letter, make sure to detail why you made the stylistic choices
you did. Make a clear argument for why your work deserves to be published.
2. Hip-hop Legends Research Project. Decide which street talent speaks to you more:
graffiti or breakdancing. Choose a graffiti or B-boy/B-girl legend and research him/her.
Prepare a presentation for the class. Talk about where the artist came from, how s/he
got his/her writer or b-boy/b-girl name, how s/he came up as an artist, if there is
anything controversial or important about his/her life. Detail and explain the artist’s
style and what is unique about it. Showcase the artist’s work. You can make a collage or
slideshow or show video clips. Make sure to include music with your presentation!
In your presentation, try to tell a story and not just recite the facts. Turn in a written
transcript of your presentation. It should include all parts of the presentation: what
songs you play, what exactly you plan to say and when, and your sources.
RESOURCES:
Websites
 Art Crimes. www.graffiti.org
 Blade…King of Graf. http://www.bladekingofgraf.com/index.htm
 Bombing Science. http://www.bombingscience.com/
 Graffiti Research Lab. http://www.graffitiresearchlab.com/
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Books
 Austin, Joe. 2001. Taking the Train: How Graffiti Art Became an Urban Crisis in
New York City. New York: Columbia University Press.
 Cooper, Martha, and Henry Chalfant. 1984. Subway Art. New York: Holt,
Rinehart and Winston.
 Ferrell, J. 1993. Crimes of style: Urban Graffiti and the Politics of Criminality.
New York: Garland.
 Ganz, Nicholas. 2006. Graffiti Women: Street Art from Five Continents. New
York: Abrams.
 Lewisohn, Cedar. 2008. Street Art: The Graffiti Revolution. New York, NY:
Abrams.
 Martinez, Hugo. 2006. Graffiti NYC. Munich: New York.
 Martinez, Scape. 2009. GRAFF: The Art & Technique of Graffiti. Cincinnati,
Ohio: Impact Books.
 Runell, Marcella, and Martha Diaz. 2007. The Hip-Hop Education Guidebook
Volume 1. New York: Hip-Hop Association.
 Snyder, Gregory J. 2009. Graffiti Lives: Beyond the Tag in New York's Urban
Underground. New York: New York University Press.
 Walde, Claudia. 2011. Graffiti Alphabets: Street Fonts from Around the World.
Thames & Hudson.
Articles
 Ehrlich, D. and E. ―A History of Graffiti in Its Own Words.‖ New York Magazine.
25 June 2006.
 Gardiner, Sean. ―Kiko Was Here.‖ The Village Voice. 20 February 2007.
http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-02-20/news/kiko-was-here/#
 Lubov, Arthur. ―It’s Going to be Big.‖ (article about Marc Ecko) Inc. Magazine. 1
March 2009. http://www.inc.com/magazine/20090301/its-going-to-bebig.html#
 Pabon, Jorge (Popmaster Fabel). ―Physical Graffiti, The History of Hip-Hop
Dance.‖ Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner. 1999.
http://www.daveyd.com/historyphysicalgrafittifabel.html
Films
 Beat Street. 1984. Directed by Stan Lathan.
 Rock Fresh. 2004. Directed by Danny Lee.
 Style Wars. 1984. Directed by Tony Silver and Henry Chalfant.
 Wild Style. 1983. Directed by Charlie Ahearn.
LEARNING STANDARDS:
International and National
-International Society for Technology in Education Standard 1, Creativity and Innovation –Students
demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and
processes using technology
-International Society for Technology in Education Standard 3, Research and Information Fluency –
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
-National Association for Media Literacy Education Core Principles
State
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-Washington State Writing EALR 2 and 3 – Student writes in a variety of forms for different audiences
and purposes; Student writes clearly and effectively.
-Washington State Arts EALR 1, 2, and 3 – Student understands and applies arts knowledge and skills;
demonstrates thinking skills using artistic processes of creating, performing/presenting and
responding; communicates through the arts.
-Washington State Communication EALR 1, 2, and 3 – Student uses listening and observation skills and
strategies to gain understanding; uses communication skills and strategies to interact/work
effectively with others; uses communication skills and strategies to effectively present ideas and
one’s self in a variety of situations.
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