{"id":305061,"date":"2026-07-24T20:33:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T20:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/305061\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T20:33:49","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T20:33:49","slug":"this-fall-the-birthplace-of-hip-hop-becomes-home-to-the-nations-first-school-of-hip-hop-bronx-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/305061\/","title":{"rendered":"This fall, the birthplace of hip-hop becomes home to the nation\u2019s first School of Hip-Hop \u2013 Bronx Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

The first-of-its-kind Bronx School of Hip-Hop<\/a> will open this fall and school staff intend to make sure students know and feel their place in history.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Principal Jason Reyes will lead the inaugural class, starting with ninth grade and building capacity each year. Every aspect of the school, from the walls to the curriculum to the bells between classes, will be infused with hip-hop sounds, imagery and legacy, he told the Bronx Times. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re gonna know that you\u2019re in the Bronx School of Hip-Hop,\u201d Reyes said.\n<\/p>\n

The Department of Education approved<\/a> the school in December to open at 1600 Webster Ave. in Claremont. Reyes said his team is still working on the \u201cbeautiful\u201d space that will eventually have full video and audio production studios, a dance studio, portable tech equipment, murals and other amenities unique to the hip-hop concept and foundational for any high school.<\/p>\n

Reyes grew up in Soundview in what is now called the NYCHA Sonia Sotomayor Houses, a neighborhood rich with hip-hop pioneers and places.\n<\/p>\n

Reyes\u2019 career in education began in 2004 when he became a substitute math teacher at M.S. 129 in his native neighborhood. He then progressed into a regular teaching role and became principal at the same school in 2019.<\/p>\n

As a school leader, Reyes said he relies on \u201cthe same things that made me successful as a teacher, which was really leaning into my community, the culture in my community and my Bronx roots.\u201d<\/p>\n

That background will matter even more at the Bronx School of Hip-Hop. Being selected as founding principal of the new school is \u201can honor\u201d that Reyes said he\u2019s well-suited for.<\/p>\n

The school\u2019s approach will rely on viewing hip-hop \u201cas educational, as rigorous, as instructional,\u201d Reyes said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Culture as curriculum\u00a0<\/p>\n

Curriculum will center around the five main elements of the genre: DJing, MCing, graffiti, breaking and self-knowledge. Students will work towards mastery of regular school standards and the state Portrait of a Graduate<\/a> that emphasizes critical thinking, creativity and reflectiveness, all filtered through a hip-hop lens, according to Reyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For instance, he said English classes will incorporate MCing skills in students\u2019 study of writing, persuasion and rhetorical devices. They may study the words of Kendrick Lamar, Nas and Rakim alongside those of Mark Twain, Shakespeare and Ralph Ellison, Reyes said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In math, where most students want to know where they\u2019re going to apply that knowledge outside of school, the answer may lie in beat production and DJing, which relies on ratios, proportions and analytical skills, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The curriculum aims to build on what students already know and emphasize well-roundedness, from the physical to the mental, but perhaps the most important element of hip-hop is knowledge of self, Reyes said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Understanding one\u2019s own place in society and history is critical, and the genre itself is \u201can American success story\u201d that emerged from humble roots and struggles to become influential on a worldwide scale. Students at the school may mirror that same trajectory, Reyes said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The framework of hip-hop in a school \u201callows us to open these doors seamlessly, because now we have a vehicle \u2026 for students to gain access,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen we talk about culturally relevant instruction, this is the epitome of that.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He described the school\u2019s approach as rigorous and practical, especially because hip-hop\u2019s success relies on not just performers but those who work in entertainment law, content creation, marketing and other aspects of the business.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reyes said students will leave the school with a strong academic foundation plus technical skills, financial savvy and an entrepreneurial mindset. \u201cStudents should understand how to own what they create,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Making history<\/p>\n

As August approaches, Reyes said he\u2019s seen \u201ca lot of interest\u201d from potential staff from a variety of backgrounds who are excited about the new school concept. Staff will be certified in content areas as required but also \u201cunderstand that culture is curriculum,\u201d Reyes said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So far, he said enrollment is \u201clooking pretty good\u201d towards a goal of 115 to 120 students for the founding class. Full capacity will be 400 to 450 with all grades 9-12, and \u201ca building process\u201d lies ahead, according to Reyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said the ideal student at the Bronx School of Hip-Hop is not necessarily the would-be rapper type but rather those who work hard and will go deep into understanding and expressing their own identity \u2014 \u201cstudents who see themselves as the asset,\u201d as Reyes put it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The school is open to all NYC residents, and as staff get ready to welcome the first class, the space is being \u201ccarefully curated for their learning experiences,\u201d Reyes said. Orientations and community-building events will start soon, with \u201csome surprises\u201d ahead, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reyes said he hopes the Bronx will embrace and uplift the incoming students as they become the first in the country to attend a school centered on the genre made famous in the borough.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese children are making history,\u201d Reyes said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

Reach Emily Swanson at\u00a0eswanson@schnepsmedia.com<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0(646) 717-0015<\/a>. For more coverage, subscribe to our\u00a0newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>!<\/p>\n