‘Stories through sound’; New hip-hop class bridges history

BY ADITYA SRIDHARAN staff writer

Nestled in the A Building is Sakima Williams, who teaches Inventing Hip-Hop at Berkeley High School. In a room of six students, the course covers the past and present, music and history, and incites inspiration.

Williams grew up in hip -hop and remembers break dancing in the early ‘80s on pieces of linoleum. His perspective as a teacher intertwines his upbringing with his identities as both a musician and an educator.

“To move it forward, it’s important for us to look back and see what we came from,” he said. His aspiration: is to link past and present in order for students to better understand hip-hop.

“When I used to go to church, I would stay after just to mess around with the drums,” said BHS freshman Kamren Bell. Bell’s interest in the drums led him to sign up for the class which he now views as a sort of family.

“(Williams) makes you feel comfortable and you feel like you can express yourself towards him,” Bell said.

Music and history are of equal importance in the class. “We first addressed hip-hop’s history from its roots (in) the defunded came together and created the four main elements of hip-hop, being breakdancing, beatboxing, MCing and DJing,” he said. school programs of New York,” Williams said. “Teenagers from Puerto Rican and African American backgrounds

African American culture being taught in high school has grown since William’s childhood. Growing up surrounded by hip-hop, “the police would harass us and give us soliciting and loitering tickets,” Williams said.

The class demonstrates the connection between many genres of music.

“These different components like jazz and house evolved with hip-hop and cross pollinated,” Williams added. After teaching the historical roots of hiphop, Williams leads the class into music production. “They’re telling their stories through sound. They’re selecting the rhythms and drum