2014 in rap

This December, the super smart rappers at Flocabulary called off the regular Week in Rap to stand back and celebrate the preceding 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours and 525,600 minutes in rhyme. 

And the annual Year in Rap was launched.

 

An online library of educational hip-hop songs and videos, Flocabulary is part of larger project targeted to a community of educators who have proved that struggling high school students can be reached with rap songs covering everything from U.S. History to SAT vocabulary words. 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. 

And once again, the rappers are looking for a few good collaborators.

In partnership with the education page of The New York Times, Flocabulary is offering students, from 13 to 19 years old, an opportunity to get their rhymes published.

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.

Get ideas from the 2013 winners:

Last year Trayvon Martin was shot and killed.
Some bullets were fired and blood got spilled.
Then this year, George Zimmerman got set free.

Now the whole country wonders “How could this be?!”  (Aaron and Alex)

And:

Boston runners are full of sorrow
Barbara Walters isn’t working tomorrow
Snowden’s got asylum, Philippines got hit
Russia got slammed, Mandela’s hope is still lit (Sophie H., Susie W., Mitch H. WHMS)

Or think about what’s been on your mind this year:

High school students been workin’ to look smarter

Found AP classes gettin’ harder and harder.

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 7 a.m. Eastern time on January 7, 2015.