Rhythm, Rhyme, Results (RRR) is a company based out of Cambridge, Massachusetts that produces educational music in the hip-hop genre. Subjects of study have included language arts, science, math and social studies. Robbie Mitchell is the managing director of Rhythm, Rhyme, Results and has said that the goal of the company is to "create original music for educational publishing, media, and software".
Many hip hop artists have contributed to the company's projects, including Afro DZ ak, Lyrical, and MC Kabir. Contributors also include graduates from Harvard University and Berklee College of Music. School systems from several states have implemented this method into their curriculum, and a New York Times blog has noted the success that this method has had in helping students. [1] [2]
Rhythm, Rhyme, Results has also been featured by NPR [3] and the Bay State Banner. [4] Their albums have been reviewed favorably by Common Sense Media, [5] [6] [7] [8] an organization that reviews media content for kids and families.
In Fall 2009, Rhythm, Rhyme, Results received two Parents' Choice Awards, one each for its Science and Language Arts albums. [9] [10]
Rapping is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular", which is performed or chanted in a variety of ways, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The components of rap include "content", "flow", and "delivery". Rap differs from spoken-word poetry in that it is usually performed off time to musical accompaniment. Rap being a primary ingredient of hip hop music, it is commonly associated with that genre in particular; however, the origins of rap predate hip-hop culture by many years.
Eric B. & Rakim are an American hip hop duo formed in Long Island, New York, in 1986, composed of DJ Eric B. and MC Rakim. AllMusic wrote that "during rap's so-called golden age in the late '80s, Eric B. & Rakim were almost universally recognized as the premier DJ/MC team in all of hip-hop." Tom Terrell of NPR called them "the most influential DJ/MC combo in contemporary pop music period." The editors of About.com ranked them as No. 5 on their list of the 10 Greatest Hip-Hop Duos of All-Time, and Rolling Stone ranked them No. 5 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time.
Tanzanian Hip-hop, also known as Bongo Flava, encompasses a large variety of different sounds, but it is particularly known for heavy synth riffs and an incorporation of Tanzanian pop. There is some debate over whether Bongo Flava, which has emerged as a defined pop movement, can really still be qualified under the overarching term "hip hop" and not a movement unto itself, when it is beginning to develop a distinctive sound that differs from hardcore rap or, for example, the Maasai Hip-hop of X Plastaz, who use the tradition of the Maasai tribe as the focal point for their sound and style. A form of Tanzanian hip hop is Bongo Flava. Bongo flava, derived from the Swahili word "ubongo", incorporates hip hop, Indian filmi, taraab, muzik wa dansi, and dancehall beats. It all began in the 1980s when Tanzanian teenagers were really interested in the American hip hop scene. At first, they took American beats and rapped to them. As the youth rapped, the hip hop in Tanzania began to develop into a mix of traditional and localized hip hop scene. As a result, it began a wave of interest from other people in Eastern Africa.
New Zealand Hip Hop derives from the wider hip hop cultural movement originating amongst African Americans in the United States. Like the parent movement, New Zealand hip hop consists of four parts: rapping, DJing, graffiti art and breakdancing. The first element of hip hop to reach New Zealand was breakdancing, which gained notoriety after the release of the 1979 movie The Warriors. The first hip hop hit single, "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang, became a hit in New Zealand when it was released there in 1980, a year after it was released in the United States. By the middle of the 1980s, breakdancing and graffiti art were established in urban areas like Wellington and Christchurch. By the early 1990s hip hop became a part of mainstream New Zealand culture.
O is the debut studio album by American R&B singer Omarion, released on February 22, 2005 via Epic Records and Sony Urban Music. Despite featuring explicit language, the album doesn't have a Parental Advisory label on the cover. It features three singles: the title track, "Touch" and "I'm Tryna." The album entered at number one, and has sold 758,000 copies in the United States as of November 2008. O went on to be certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 48th Grammy Awards.
Hood Hop is the debut album by rapper J-Kwon. It was released on April 6, 2004. Club hit, "Tipsy", was successful on the US, UK and Australian charts. A popular remix of the song features Chingy and Murphy Lee. The LP sold 125,000 copies in its first week of release.
Nick Cannon is the debut album by American rapper Nick Cannon. It features the song "Gigolo" that reached number 9 on the US Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart and number 24 on the Hot 100 in 2004.
Hip Hop Harry is an American children's television show that aired on Discovery Kids and TLC as part of the Ready Set Learn block from 2006 to 2008, as well as several Retro Television Network affiliates, as an E/I-compliant program. Similar to PBS Kids series such as Barney & Friends, Kidsongs and Sesame Street, Hip Hop Harry is a live-action program aimed at younger children ranging from about 2–7 years old. The program uses age-appropriate hip hop music and dance to teach social, educational, physical and creative skills.
Flocabulary is a Brooklyn-based company that creates educational hip hop songs, videos and additional materials for students in grades K-12. Founded in 2004 by Blake Harrison and Alex Rappaport, the company takes a nontraditional approach to teaching vocabulary, United States history, math, science and other subjects by integrating content into recorded raps. Flocabulary's website features videos, lesson plans, activities and assessment or with songs.
Big Dog Daddy is the eleventh studio album released by country singer Toby Keith. It was released June 12, 2007. Its first single, "High Maintenance Woman," which was released before the album came out, peaked at number three on the country charts. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, selling 204,000 copies in its first week. It was Keith's third number one on the Billboard 200 and his fifth on the Top Country Albums chart. In addition, this was the first album of Keith's career that he produced entirely on his own, having previously co-produced all but his first two albums.
Insomniatic is the third studio album by American pop rock duo Aly & AJ, released on July 10, 2007, by Hollywood Records. The album features an electronic based sound, differing from their previous pop-rock and acoustic releases, that was accented with the use of synthesizers, sampling, drum programming and vocal processing effects. The lyrical content of the album is centered heavily around heartbreak, which some critics noted its contrast to the electronic elements presented.
"High Maintenance Woman" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. It was released in February 2007 as the lead-off single from Toby's eleventh studio album Big Dog Daddy. Keith wrote the song single-handedly with additional writing credits from Tim Wilson and Danny Simpson. The track received positive reviews from critics who praised Keith's vocals and musicianship. "High Maintenance Woman" peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and number 67 on the Hot 100. The song achieved similar success in Canada, reaching the top 50 on the Canadian Hot 100.
Mia's Reading Adventure: The Bugaboo Bugs is the latest title of Mia's Big Adventure Collection software series created by Kutoka Interactive. Release in late 2007 in Canada and the United States, the game teaches reading to children between 5 and 9 years old.
Mia's Language Adventure: The Kidnap Caper is the fourth title of Mia's Big Adventure Collection software series created by Kutoka Interactive. Released in 2003 in Canada and the United States, the game teaches French and Spanish as a second language to children between 6 and 10 years old.
Didi & Ditto is an edutainment software series created in 2003 by Kutoka Interactive. The series consists in three grade-based titles for preschool, kindergarten and first grade.
Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop is a book by literary scholar Adam Bradley that looks at hip hop music’s literary techniques and argues “that we must understand rap as poetry or miss the vanguard of poetry today.” The Dallas Morning News described it by saying, “You'll find Yeats and Frost alongside Nas and...Wu-Tang Clan, together forming a discussion on meter and accent, scansion, and slant rhymes”. Bradley is an associate professor of English at the University of Colorado at Boulder, with a PhD in English from Harvard University.
Samuel Barry is an American author, columnist, publishing professional, and musician.
Common Sense Media (CSM) is a non-profit organization that "provides education and advocacy to families to promote safe technology and media for children."
Kathi Kamen Goldmark was an American author, columnist, publishing consultant, radio and music producer, songwriter, and musician. Goldmark was the author of the novel And My Shoes Keep Walking Back to You, co-authored or contributed to numerous other books, wrote a monthly column for BookPage with her husband, author and musician Sam Barry and produced the radio show West Coast Live. She was a member of the San Francisco band Los Train Wreck, and founding member of the all-author rock band the Rock Bottom Remainders. As President of "Don't Quit Your Day Job" Productions inc., she supervised the production of ten music and spoken-word CDs.
The Grasshopper & the Ants, by Jerry Pinkney, is a 2015 adaptation of the classic Aesop fable where a grasshopper relaxes through Spring, Summer, and Autumn, while a colony of ants work at gathering food for the Winter, but although initially refusing the grasshopper's request for help, they relent and invite him in to share.