Hip-Hop Artist and University Professor Teaming to Teach STEM Concepts

The New York Times reports that hip-hop artist GZA and Columbia professor Dr. Christopher Emdin are collaborating on a project with lyrics site Rap Genius to use hip-hop as a science teaching tool with African-American youth.  The pilot will be used in 10 NYC public schools, with the hope of changing the way teachers relate to students of color.  In other efforts, the Rap Genius site recently received a $15 million venture capital investment, and it hopes to expand into education; GZA consulted with MIT physicists on an album about the cosmos; and Dr. Emdin has written a book on urban science for the hip-hop generation.  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/nyregion/columbia-professor-and-gza-aim-to-help-teach-science-through-hip-hop.html?_r=0