Educational Hip Hop - Rapper LAK

Primary Sources, Black History

Join The Gist of Freedom as we talk with Lak, Hip Hop at it's best! Larry “LAK” Henderson is the founder of Smart Music Entertainment, and the creator of a new sound of hip-hop music that is used as a tool to educate and awaken the consciousness of youth and people in our communities. His album, Lesson One: Hip-Hop & Education, has hit Amazon bestseller lists (#1 in Hot New Releases and #8 in Educational Music), and has received airplay on major radio stations around the world, due to his combination of deep, historical insights and authentic hip-hop sound. The album features songs about African and African-American history, politics, geography, money management, and commentary on the social war raging in our urban communities. CBS calls Lesson One “creative, innovative, and informative.” Dominion of New York Magazine says, “Most people who use hip-hop to educate do so badly. Lak does it so well.” Lak is a social critic, history and religion intellectual, and an innovative education advocate. Through his company’s Smart Music Insights initiative, he offers free performances and educational workshops for urban youth; guidance for parents and youth educators on ways to foster learning; and original songwriting to support awareness campaigns for positive community organizations. Lak holds degrees in Africana Studies, Communications, and Labor Studies from Rutgers University, and studied studio engineering at the Institute of Audio Research. Lak has been featured as a guest on a host of radio and television programs, including London UK’s BANG 103.6 FM, CBS, KMOJ 89.9 FM Minneapolis, WVON 1690 AM Chicago, WPRB 103.3 FM Princeton University, WRSU 88.7 FM Rutgers University, WMNF 88.5 Tampa, BET, LA Talk Radio, and many more.