Resisting to the beat: Exploring the theological and educational significance of Hip Hop as an act of resistance

Abstract

The article wishes to explore the theological significance of Hip Hop as an everyday practice of resistance that warrants practical-theological reflection. The first section provides a short background of how Hip Hop came into existence and highlights its core elements, like the role of memory, resistance, social analysis, and critique in a local and global context. This is followed by an explanation of the practical-theological focus of the article. The second section offers a detailed discussion of the religious and theological value of Hip Hop, while the final section focuses on how this act of resistance provides a platform that could shape agency, especially among youth, and dissects the educational value of Hip Hop as cultural text. Considering the context and content of Hip hop, it is argued that it could be instrumental in being a voice for the voiceless and marginalised as an essential aspect of popular culture in contexts like South Africa and Brazil.