Sneak Peek: Emmett Phillips Podcast

Emmett Phillips: I would say hip-hop is their language. It's definitely a language that they understand, it's dynamic, it has space for very different personalities. If I named off five of my favorite rappers, they're all very different minds, different voices, different tones, and I think that that reflects what diversity is. That reflects what a classroom might look like. In hip-hop, you can be yourself, and it's okay. There's a place for you no matter how quirky you are, what language is your first language? It doesn't matter. That's what I always loved about hip-hop. It's malleable enough for pretty much any type of personality. Also, I think it's genuinely fun, I find it to be something enjoyable, I love to play with rhymes. I love creative metaphors. I love the imagery that people can do, the storytelling. I think it's just such a dynamic tool. Not only does it make you a better speaker or more confident in yourself, it'll make you get into entrepreneurship. It'll make you want to sell your t-shirts, it'll make you want to record and put your records out. It'll make you want to do more than just the art form itself. Hip-hop is such an engine, it's like a source of energy that anyone can access and it inspires you to want to create and want to move and be with the people. It's a people's movement.