Deep in the beat
Harvard’s Hutchins Center was caught in a wave of anticipation and excitement as Cambridge teens descended on its Hiphop Archive and Research Institute one recent morning. The energy was palpable as the exclamations, questions, and answers tumbled over each other. “This is so dope!” “You have an actual Biz Markie doll?” “Did Tupac actually wear those shoes?” The 13 teens, ranging in age from 14 to 18, were part of The Hip Hop Transformation (THHT) program. Just a year old, the program is offered free by the Cambridge Community Center, in partnership with the Cambridge Health Alliance, the Cambridge Police Department, and the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program. Its goal is to teach teens the history of hip-hop, its role in society, and the skills it takes to write, record, and perform original music. “There is a lot you can learn from the culture of hip-hop. You can learn about the culture of...