2012 in Rap

Once a year, the super smart rappers at Flocabulary call off the Week in Rap to pull it all together and celebrate the preceding 52 weeks in rhyme.  And the annual Year in Rap is born.

If you’re not familiar with the weekly current events program promoted and brilliantly executed by the hip hop poets behind Flocabulary, check it out. It’s part of larger project targeted to a community of educators who proved struggling high school students can be reached with rap songs covering everything from U.S. History to SAT vocabulary words.

But this year they’re adding a twist.  In partnership with the education page of The New York Times, Flocabulary is offering students an opportunity to get their rhymes published by two very prestigious news organizations.

Super creative rappers can choose at least four important New York Times stories and write their own Year in Rap following NYT’s Learning Network commenting standards—no profanity or vulgar language.

Lyrics should be submitted to the Flocabulary-New York Times Learning Network Year in Rap contest as a comment to an article inviting Year in Rap submissions by 5 p.m. Eastern time on January 7, 2013.

The top five raps, as judged by The Times and Flocabulary staff using a posted rubric, will be featured on both the Learning Network and Flocabulary.com.

You can work in a team or by yourself.  But the rules allow only one submission per student.  And, sad to say, no videos.

It’s all for fun and a little recognition. 

It’s been a crazy year.  Lots of ups and downs and a whole lot of change.  But life goes on.  Just ask Flocabulary:

Shout out to 2012, we did it,

Another Year in Rap, get with it…

We live in times that the Mayans couldn’t dream,
Year in Rap, you’re in 2013!

Let’s Go!