Modern Rap music and its related Hip- Hop culture is one of the most popular and dynamic influences among youth in the United States as well as around the world. For example, Billboard magazine and other news outlets report that Rap music has become the most popular musical genre across all consumers in the United States since 2017, and similar reports suggest Rap music has become an extremely popular international phenomenon.
Although certain elements of Rap/Hip-Hop contain negative messages, the Hip-Hop H.E.A.L.S. (Helping Everyone Achieve Liberation and Success) program is an innovative model of trauma-informed violence prevention and intervention that employs strategically-selected songs, videos, and other popular media components from Rap/Hip-Hop culture to promote prosocial strategies. This webinar will highlight practical techniques and exemplars for employing Rap/Hip-Hop-related songs and videos to address COVID-19 and community violence among urban youth as a means of providing trauma-informed violence prevention programming that is relevant to current crises impacting mental health and wellness of these youth and their families, schools, and communities.