In Hip-Hop Civics , Jabari Evans demonstrates how Hip-Hop can be deployed in revamping formal civic education for Black and Brown youth. Based on an original ethnographic study of a Hip-Hop-based education program, the Songwriting and Production Program (SWP) administered by the Foundation of Music in two of Chicago’s lowest performing public schools, Evans argues that Hip-Hop culture is central to students’ lives and can be used as a vehicle for students to engage in civic practices and extract critical lessons about mainstream media, relational currency, identity development, and race/racism within the classroom. Through a compelling exploration of the SWP program, Evans contends that Hip-Hop should be part of formal education spaces and instruction, a conclusion he reaches through his understanding of how Hip-Hop impacted his own life, and by witnessing students discuss, write, and produce Hip-Hop music as part of the SWP program. “Fueled by a powerful combination of deep research and lived experience, Hip-Hop Civics is a vital work of scholarship and advocacy. As Dr. Jabari Evans persuasively argues, integrating Hip-Hop art and culture into school curricula can help us raise engaged, informed citizens and build stronger communities. Given that this country needs civics lessons more than ever, we stand to learn so much by listening to what Hip-Hop can teach us.” -- Mark Katz, author of Build: The Power of Hip Hop Diplomacy in a Divided World Jabari M. Evans is Assistant Professor of Race and Media at the University of South Carolina and Associate Faculty at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University.