By Nora Biette-Timons
Hip hop therapy” was first conceptualized in the 1990s, by Dr. Edgar Tyson. In a 2002 academic paper, he wrote that “treatment innovations that are culturally sensitive and demonstrate promise…are of significant importance to practitioners working with at-risk and delinquent youth,” but noted that, up to that point, rap and hip-hop had not been among the tools that had been thoroughly explored. The teens (who had experienced traumatic conditions as children) who Tyson first worked with to hone hip hop therapy (or HHT) made clear that the specific intervention appealed to them: The majority said in qualitative interviews that “they appreciated the ‘respect’ for ‘their’ music” and a handful were prompted “to create their own rap songs and then share and discuss these songs.”
Tyson’s pioneering work has since been built upon by other practitioners, particularly J.C. Hall, who studied under Tyson and now runs a hip-hop therapy studio at Mott Haven Community High School in the Bronx—returning to hip-hop’s original home turf. Hall had his own severe mental health issues as a teen, and writing music helped him get through it. He melded that experience with HHT’s existing research and developed a program called Hip Hop Expressive Arts Therapy (HEAT), which synthesizes various expressive arts therapies (music, poetry, dance, art, etc.) and is characterized by the purposeful use of artistic mediums in treatment, transitioning freely between forms of expression to aid in deeper exploration and promote individual growth, community development, and transformative healing.
Evermore provided a microgrant HHT to film and produce its annual showcase, entitled “Transcendence,” at Mott Haven Community High in June.
Londynn, a student who participated in the event, said performing in it was “emotional” and it “empowered” her to face her fears. During the showcase, Londynn sang to her mother, who was in the audience, a moment Hall characterized as a “beautiful moment of connection.”
“In all honesty, the [hip hop therapy] studio is where you can be yourself, have fun and be free with no judgment,” she added — giving much kudos to Hall, who she said makes “the space a safe and friendly environment.”
Gambino, another student artist, heartily agreed, crediting Hall with being a force that “made me comfortable doing the showcase”: Having a “good person to actually help me and guide me and keep me on track and OK with being on a stage in front of multiple people” made Gambino “love everything about it.”
Gambino added that HHT has helped him navigate other aspects of his life, especially loss, “by helping me put my feelings onto a beat and letting me unleash all the tension in my body that I have built up.”