The Hip-Hop Collective

Wilmington, North Carolina — As children grow and change, they have to deal with a range of emotions, but schools sometimes don’t always teach them how to handle them.

That’s why the University of North Carolina at Wilmington started the Hip-Hop Collective, a program that allows middle school students to create their own music and write their own lyrics.

Artist Brandon Hickman says music can be therapeutic.

“They can paint, they can paint what they feel, they can write lyrics, they can write what they feel,” Hickman said. “It helps them get something out of their chest and create.”

He says he teaches students how to make music through his hip-hop collective and sees how it helps them.

“I see different students,” said Mr. Hickman. “When they start working and do what they love, they see different students.”

(Natalie Mooney/Spectrum News 1)

And for students like Janaz Vought, the program has become a school treat.

“I wasn’t really into music in school, but this group got me excited at first and still excites me,” Vogt said. “But I heard today is the last day, or it could be the last. It’s kind of a shame because it was the best thing that happened at this school.”

And while the students may have finished the program by now, Hickman says he hopes these children will carry on music and its benefits for the rest of their lives, just as he did.

“I started playing the trombone in 5th or 6th grade and continued all through college. And I’m a DJ. I’m on the radio,” Hickman said. “I mean, most of my life has been music.”

UNCW says the hip-hop collective follows a community resilience model that encourages students to balance body and mind.

This is a collective pilot program, and students hope the program will return next year.

(Natalie Mooney/Spectrum News 1)