2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip-hop culture which, as a global industry and phenomenon, has accomplished a lot. But as a culture, what has hip-hop taught us? How has it inspired us? In what ways has it freed us? This book presents The Hip Hop Mindset —a perspective that gives us the permission to show up in life as our full authentic selves and to shine in our own culturally unique ways. This book introduces the hip-hop mindset as a professional practice that holds relevance for students, educators, and ambitious leaders in any profession. It is for those who seek to innovate, trailblaze, and create a rich source of professional magic. The author offers a fresh contribution to the literature by focusing on what hip-hop culture has to offer in terms of success strategies—what it can teach us about leadership, work ethic, commitment, and resilience. Expanding the important conversations about the power of hip-hop in the lives of youth, Jenkins explores hip-hop culture in the lives of adult professionals, including P–20 educators, community leaders, and organizational administrators.

What is a Hip-Hop Mindset? 
​Explainer Video

Book Trailer & Overview


Articles & Interviews 

By adopting the hip-hop mindset, educators will be better prepared to do the kind of battle required to prevail on behalf of truth-telling, authenticity, creativity and all the other habits of mind that made hip-hop the defiant and resilient culture that it has become.

News Article

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Radio Interview

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HOW TEACHERS FACING SUBJECT BANS CAN TAKE LESSONS FROM CLASSIC HIP-HOP CULTURE
As American teachers return to the classroom, they are facing a 21-year high number of attempts to ban books, as well as new restrictions on teaching Black history. Toby Jenkins, a Professor of Higher Education at the University of South Carolina, lays out four lessons from classic hip-hop about how to confront this moment.