Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through Hip Hop

January 19, 2014

Here at DS, we get super psyched when we hear stories of dancers giving back to their communities through…well…dance. And we can’t resist sharing them, so you can get a dose of the warm-and-fuzzies too.

Prepare to feel the love, folks.

Hip Hop Fundamentals
is a group dedicated to promoting self-empowerment, education and positive change through hip hop.


(Photo via Facebook)

Founded in 2011 by Steve “Believe” Lunger and Mark “Metal” Wong—both members of Philadelphia B-boy crew Repstyles—Hip Hop Fundamentals travels to local schools to teach students everything from physics to social change. They use a combination of lectures, sketches and dance (we’re talking sick break-dancing…they’re legit, guys) to get the kids engaged in the learning process.

And one of their shows—Civil Rights Movements: The Power of Youth Engagement through the Eyes of Dr. King—is quite timely. In it, the members of Hip Hop Fundamentals don’t just break, they break down…difficult concepts, that is. Racism, segregation, boycotts, rallies—they all find their way into the dance.


(via Hip Hop Fundamentals)

The group will celebrate Martin Luther King Day today by performing this show for free in the African American Museum in Philadelphia. But for those of us who can’t teleport to Philadelphia (major bummer), here’s a nine-minute video of highlights from the show: