Hip-hop to connect students with Shakespeare

To be, or not to be? Shakespeare's famous question from Hamlet has resonated with audiences for centuries. But for many educators today, the bigger question is how to keep Shakespeare relevant in Australian classrooms.

With International Literacy Day on 8 September, that question is particularly timely.

University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) researcher Dr Charlie Thomson believes students aren’t rejecting Shakespeare – they just need a new way to connect with him, and hip-hop could provide the beat.

Dr Thomson is no stranger to hip-hop. Before becoming a lecturer and researcher, the former high school teacher and rapper founded the acclaimed hip-hop group The Winnie Coopers, performing at the Big Day Out and supporting international acts including the Beastie Boys.

His latest research, published in the Australian Journal of English Education, explores how hip-hop pedagogy can help students engage more deeply with Shakespeare while building literacy, critical thinking, questioning skills and classroom participation.

To demonstrate the approach, Dr Thomson wrote and produced Who's There? – a 12-track hip-hop concept album inspired by Hamlet. The music is available to stream, along with the academic paper, which includes the album’s complete lyrics.

He is already putting the approach into practice with Year 10 students at Bellbird Park State Secondary College through a UniSQ in-school enabling program designed to build pathways to higher education.

“Hip-hop is a powerful way of connecting with young people. It provides different opportunities for creative expression and encourages collaboration,” he said.

“Hip-hop is a language that connects with people from all different backgrounds and can lead to more meaningful learning.

“Although hip-hop and Shakespeare may initially seem worlds apart, they have more in common than people might think. Both are built on storytelling, rhythm, poetry and asking difficult questions.”

The research contributes to ongoing debate about Shakespeare’s place in modern classrooms, suggesting creative teaching approaches can improve student engagement while helping teachers build stronger classroom connections and support their own wellbeing.

Rather than replacing Shakespeare, Dr Thomson said the goal was to find new ways to make his works accessible and relevant for today's students and educators.

“Shakespeare explored universal themes that remain just as relevant today, and those same ideas can be found throughout popular culture, including hip-hop,” he said.

“Hip-hop pedagogy is one of many approaches educators can draw on to encourage creativity, build a sense of community and create opportunities for deeper learning.”