Hip-hop academy enriches local youth with rap culture

When Lansing musician Ozay Moore formed the All of the Above Hip Hop Academy, he wanted to create a learning center for youth to absorb all of the rich cultural teachings hip-hop has to offer. More than a decade later, he’s helped build one of Lansing’s most unique nonprofit youth extracurricular programs, where Lansing students learn to express themselves positively through rhyming, breakdancing and beat production. 

Moore, originally a touring musician by trade, moved to Lansing from the Pacific Northwest in 2006, and didn’t anticipate it would become his permanent home. “Touring life was no longer conducive to my personal values and what I wanted to do with my life outside of music. Being from Seattle, I had a different perspective on how hip-hop culture can be an asset to the community,” Moore said. 

Stepping back from constant touring and settling into Lansing with his family, Moore decided he wanted to create an original after school program that could help with community development through artistic expression. He believed that teaching Lansing youth the core elements of hip-hop: emceeing, deejaying and dancing, could make a deeper positive impact on the city. 

“While we give youth a platform and appreciate what they bring to the table, we as elders can provide additional layers as to where the culture comes from,” Moore said. 

When it came time to gather a team of instructors and volunteers that could make Moore’s vision for All of the Above Hip Hop Academy a reality, he drew from his experience in the music scene. Moore met academy instructors, such as James Gardin, Sareem Poems and Ess-Be, during his time performing shows in the Lansing hip-hop scene. Moore also received a helping hand from longtime Lansing civil rights activist, John Duley, who provided All of the Above Hip Hop Academy a space to host its first summer program.

“That was our shot. That’s how we worked out the kinks and figured out what we were doing,” Moore said.

Students immediately took to a curriculum that sharpened their rhyme skills on the microphone; taught them how to produce their own beats using computer software and even showed them how to create their own graffiti-inspired artwork. Moore said kids that didn’t fit in with other school programs or sports, finally found a place where they felt at home.

Instructor and program coordinator James Gardin said the trick when working with kids at the All of the Above Hip Hop Academy is to help improve and constructively critique their art without erasing their original voice and style. 

“When it comes to teaching them how to create music, I really believe they have the creativity inside them and it’s my job to help pull it out,” Gardin said. 

Though the coronavirus pandemic immediately shutdown all in-person instruction, the program isn’t going anywhere. Like countless other learning institutions, the academy has taken to reaching out to students through Zoom video conference calls. The academy also received important grants from organizations such as the Arts Council of Greater Lansing and the Lansing Economic Area Partnership. Gardin said the energy of a Zoom call isn’t quite as electric, but it’s still important to stay connected with the kids. “We’re finding workarounds and we’re still making great records with our students,” Gardin said. 

While All of the Above Hip Hop Academy grows, Moore continues to learn more about the music and culture’s ability to positively influence a city and its youth. “The cultural pieces lend themselves to providing a platform and voice for those who otherwise feel voiceless,” Moore said. 

All of the Above Hip Hop Academy

Learn more at: Alloftheabovehiphop.org