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The Role of Gangs and Hip-Hop

Lesson 3: Gangs and Revolution

Objectives:

  • To critically analyze the role of gangs in politics and social change.

Materials:

  • Projector
  • Lap-top
  • Internet access

Procedure

Videos & Discussions

Video 1: "Bastards of the party", Part 1: (documentary)

Play video (9:25 min).

Video 2: "Bastards of the Party", Part 2: (documentary)

Play video (10:01 min).

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is a gang?
  2. Are the police a gang?
  3. What role did racism play in the formation of the first gangs in L.A? (The police, Government, White gangs)

Video 3:"Bastards of the Party", Part 3: (documentary)

Play video (10:02 min).

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you consider the "Black panthers" a gang? (some members were former gang members)
  2. What did the black panthers do for there community?
  3. Do you think gangs can be productive or positive?
  4. Do you think that "the powers that be" (Government, police, justice system) conspired to keep any black leadership or leader from rising? (e.g. 2pac, Bob Marley , Malcolm x, Martin Luther King .)
  5. If so why or why not? (What about Barrack Obama?)
  6. Is there enough or any positive black leadership hear in Canada or in your community?

Video 4:"Bastards of the Party", Part 6: (documentary)

Play video (10:01 min).

Discussion Questions:

  1. What was the reason for the formation of the Bloods and Crips?
  2. Why do you think they became gangs instead of revolutionary groups like the black panthers?
  3. Do you think the media is responsible for the spread of fear of gangs like Bloods and Crips or any other so called gang in Toronto?

Question & Answer (Informal Evaluation)

Time for learners to ask questions, give comments and feedback about anything they found interesting from the workshop.

Lesson 4: Gangs in the Media

Objectives:

  • To observe the ways that the media sensationalizes gangs.

Materials:

Procedure

Videos & Discussions

Video 1: "Guns 'n Gangs": (CBC news documentary)

Play video (5:06 min).
Debrief and discuss the video with the group.

Video 2:" Gangs Warfare?": (Global news interview)

Play video (2:39 min).
Debrief and discuss the video with the group.

Video 3:"Welcome to Death Row", Part 5: (documentary)

Play video (9:56 min).
Debrief and discuss the video with the group.

Video 4:"Welcome to Death Row", Part 6: (documentary)

Play video (9:58 min).
Debrief and discuss the video with the group.

Video 5:"Toronto Rap Project" trailer: (documentary)

Play video (9:58 min).
Debrief and discuss the video with the group.

Video 6: Ice-T - "Colors": (music video)

Handout: Ice-T - "Colors" (lyrics)

Play video (3:42 min).
Debrief and discuss the video with the group.

Video 7: The Game - "One Blood": (music video)

Handout: The Game - "One Blood" (lyrics)

Play video (4.46 min).
Debrief and discuss the video with the group.

Video 8: Ice Cube - "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It": (music video)

Handout: Ice Cube - "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It" (lyrics)

Play video (9:58 min).
Debrief and discuss the video with the group.

Question & Answer (Informal Evaluation)

Time for participants to ask questions, give comments and feedback about anything they found interesting from the workshop.

Lesson 5: The Role of Gangs in Hip-Hop History

Objectives:

  • To explore the role that gangs have played in the history and formation of Hip-Hop.

Materials:

  • Projector
  • Lap-top
  • Internet access

Procedure

Videos & Discussions

Video 1: "The beginning of the Zulu Nation": (documentary)

Play video (4:19 min).
Debrief and discuss the video with the group.

Video 2: "Apache Line: From Gangs to Hip Hop (documentary)

Play video (3:12 min).
Debrief and discuss the video with the group.

Gang Mentality (Large Group Activity)

Goal: To help group get the idea of how easy it is to get caught up in certain risky lifestyles.

Directions:

  1. Ask everyone in the group to give you a shoe or something that will symbolize something important to them.
  2. Tell everyone that to get this item back they need to give you something else or do something for you that you want i.e. money, muscle.
  3. Slowly go through the group and see what they will do.
  4. Do not let anyone give you the same thing someone else did.
  5. Let this activity start discussion how easy it was to get people caught up, how not giving in can be hard but important.
  6. If you don't take something from everyone some people will offer to join in this can also start a good discussion around the popularity that supposedly exists within this "Lifestyle" and peoples need to belong to things even if its negative.

Question & Answer (Informal Evaluation)

Time for participants to ask questions, give comments and feedback about anything they found interesting from the workshop.

 



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