Producer Jason Rawls to speak about hip-hop at Patton College of Education Nov. 7

The Patton College of Education will host its bi-annual Violet Patton Lecture Series on Thursday, Nov. 7. The featured speaker is Dr. Jason Rawls, independent hip-hop and soul producer, DJ, author, and educator.

The lecture will take place in McCracken Hall 330 on Nov. 7, 11:45 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. It is open to anyone interested in attending, and lunch will be provided.

Rawls will speak about Hip-Hop Based Education (HHBE), the integration of hip-hop into academic curriculum, as well as how his book, Youth Culture Power: A #HipHopEd Guide to Building Teacher-Student Relationships, relates to the education field.

Rawls co-authored Youth Culture Power, which lays out a foundation for educators seeking to use youth culture to build constructive relationships with their students. It was released in June with an accompanying hip-hop album.

The Columbus native has been producing music for more than 25 years. In the late 1990s, his work with Black Star, a hip-hop group comprised of Mos Def and Talib Kweli, placed him on the map among independent hip-hop producers.

Since then, Rawls has released over 20 albums and worked with artists like Doseone, Domo Genesis (Odd Future), Capital Steez (Pro Era), Beastie Boys, and Aloe Blacc.

Rawls earned his Ed.D. in Educational Administration from Ohio University’s Patton College of Education in 2017. He also holds a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Ashland University and a BBA in Marketing and Management from University of Cincinnati.

Rawls is an instructor in the College of Education at Ohio University Zanesville and at Columbus College of Art and Design. He is also a Career and Community Resource Coordinator with Columbus City Schools.

For more information about Dr. Jason Rawls, see The Patton College’s October Alumni Spotlight.