At 3:15 p.m. on a Tuesday, the basement of a converted community center on Rockaway Avenue in Brownsville, Brooklyn, rattles with bass. Fifteen-year-old Tyesha "Teestyle" Morris stands at a USB microphone, laptop glowing, rewriting a verse about the greenhouse effect. Her science teacher, a former audio engineer, circles lyrics about carbon emissions and asks: "Where's the hook? Make me feel the warming." This is third period at Urban Groove Academy, where climate science becomes a 16-bar exercise—and where students have been mixing academic credit with hip hop culture since 2019.
From Street Culture to School Culture
Urban Groove Academy was founded by Jamal "DJ Spinz" Thompson and educator Aisha Ortiz after a series of open mics they hosted at local libraries drew hundreds of teenagers with nowhere else to perform. What began as monthly cyphers evolved into a registered nonprofit and, by 2021, a full-day alternative high school serving 84 students ages 14 to 19.
The curriculum centers on hip hop's four elements—MCing, DJing, breakdancing, and graffiti art—but each is tethered to state graduation requirements. A typical morning might pair algebra with beat-making (calculating tempo and frequency), or link U.S. history units to the evolution of sampling and copyright law. Students receive traditional diplomas upon completion, and the academy also runs a certification track in audio engineering and arts administration through a partnership with the City University of New York.
"Hip hop is more than just music here; it's the frame we hang everything on," says Thompson. "When a student writes a verse about their block, they're practicing narrative structure, research, and public speaking—all at once."
"I Wasn't Showing Up to My Other School"
The academy's model depends on reaching students who have disengaged from conventional classrooms. Jaylen R., 17, enrolled last year after accumulating 47 absences at his zoned high school. He now attends full-time and interns part-time at a recording studio in Bed-Stuy.
"At my old school, I was invisible," Jaylen says. "Here, my DJ sets count toward physics—learning how sound waves travel, how mixers work. I'm actually going to graduate on time."
Parents say the shift is tangible. Maria Santos, whose 16-year-old daughter studies graffiti and graphic design at the academy, notes that her child's anxiety about school has dropped dramatically. "She used to hide in the bathroom during lunch. Now she stays until six practicing murals, and she's applying to art colleges I didn't know we could afford."
Measured Ambitions, Real Tensions
The academy has become a gathering place for Brownsville artists—hosting monthly showcases that draw neighborhood residents and occasionally booking alumni as paid performers. But its broader impact is harder to quantify.
Thompson says the school aims to keep students occupied up to 40 hours per week through coursework, studio time, and internships, providing what he calls "an alternative to street involvement." However, the academy has not commissioned independent studies tracking graduation or recidivism rates, and local crime data do not isolate school-specific effects. What is known: the academy's attendance rate reached 81 percent last year, up from 63 percent in its first semester, according to internal records shared with administrators.
Ortiz is direct about the limitations. "We're not saviors. We're one option in a neighborhood that needs ten more like us. Some kids still drop out. Some leave and come back. The goal is that when they're here, the work matters to them."
What Comes Next
Expansion plans are narrower than promotional language might suggest. The academy is scheduled to open a second site in East New York in fall 2026, funded by a $340,000 grant from the Brooklyn Arts Council. Leaders are also in early talks to publish a curriculum guide for educators in other cities, though no release date has been set.
"Hip hop education is having a moment nationally," says Dr. Monique Kelley, a professor of music education at NYU who studies youth arts programs but has no affiliation with the academy. "What distinguishes Urban Groove is that they hired licensed teachers alongside working artists. That dual staffing is rare and expensive, but it's what makes the academic piece stick."
How to Enroll or Support
Urban Groove Academy is currently accepting applications for its fall semester; priority deadlines close August 1. Information sessions for prospective students and families are held on the first Saturday of each month at the Rockaway Avenue location. The academy also accepts tax-deductible donations through its website to fund equipment and internship stipends.
For Tyesha Morris, the greenhouse-effect MC, the payoff is already concrete. She performed her climate verse at the academy's spring showcase, and a local environmental nonprofit offered her a paid summer fellowship to develop it into a youth education video
