Submission::001::
Cyphers as Education- Insights for Educators
Jesse Gardner MAT
Bio
Jesse Gardner, MAT, has worked in education for sixteen years as a teacher and advocate. His core objective is to awaken genius, both individually and collectively. He is humbled to teach young geniuses at the secondary level in English Language Arts. In 2020, Jesse received the OnPoint Circle of Excellence Award for excellence in education.
The avenue for this awakening is rooted in the ecosystem of Hip Hop. Jesse’s genius encompasses writing, recording, and performing spoken word poetry and rap under the moniker Jesse the Imaginer. He has performed both inside and outside of schools since 2008 and has released various recording projects on streaming platforms under that name.
Other avenues of interest include practicing and teaching yoga (RYT 200hr), exploring contemplative practices, serving as a gene keys guide and practitioner, facilitating ritual, playing basketball, and enjoying gardening and nature.
Abstract
This article explores the possibility of a cypher pedagogy and provides educators with a glimpse into a transformative form of learning. Drawing on his own experiences, the author addresses educators who wish to deepen their knowledge of Hip Hop and embrace the power of the cypher. The history, values, and challenges of the cypher are concisely presented to empower readers with an entry point—or a means to deepen their practice—in their educational community. In addition, simple reflections, contemplative practices, and the Rock, Rock ritual are offered not merely to read about Hip Hop but to embody it.
Introduction
Across continents for decades, school lunch tables and desktops have become drums as fists and pens pound and tap beats, tongues unleash flows of rap, and heads nod to the rhythm—yes, yes, yes. If a student wears earbuds while moving between classes, it is highly likely that some form of Hip Hop is soundtracking their day, soothing their ears with its cadences and rhythms. Hip Hop, more than a mere music genre or culture, can be considered an ecosystem (Miles 2022) that is now ubiquitous in our modern context, barely half a century after its inception. How can we—as educators, artists, and community members—intentionally and authentically interact with this Hip Hop ecosystem and harness its transformative energy in our classroom practices, healing spaces, or public events? One possible answer: enter the cypher.
What Is a Cypher?
According to the Google dictionary, “cipher*” is defined as a secret or disguised way of writing; a code; a zero; a figure 0.
Hip Hoptionary, written by Alonzo Westbrook defines “cypher” as both noun and verb—the event in which artists take turns displaying their craft and talent in an unbroken circle.
Peter Anchel’s project Fruits are Ripe, We Are Fresh describes the cypher as a space in the universe where every expression is possible—a convergence of narratives locked in a centrifugal cycle, where the friction of contradictions in language, identity, consumerism, capitalism, sex, misogyny, drugs, society, money, and more is lyrically explored. In this space, the rapper’s identity is transparent, transient, and transcendental; the cypher is the embodiment of that identity. Rap stands as one of the most significant innovations in American poetry over the past 30 years. In this sense, the cypher is Hip Hop made manifest—an expression of awareness, self-love, and community through the discipline of rapping.
In Justin F. Miles’s essay, Void School Rules Vol. 2—The Cypher, he defines a cypher as “an enclosed circle of hip-hop practitioners and listeners engaging in authentic, unfabricated, tetra-directional discourse and dialogue”. He states “the aim of the cypher is twofold: (A) to strengthen self-awareness, self-worth, and knowledge of one’s own style as well as that of others—enhancing lyrical skill and connecting to an innate, creative potentiality through words of harmony, awareness, alignment, actualization, and synthesis; and (B) to share personal messages that boost another’s self-awareness, self-worth, and connection to that creative potentiality by maintaining harmony, balance, interconnectedness, and authenticity.”
In her text Wisdom of the Cypher, Toni Blackman defines a cypher as “…the circle, representing 360°—the completion of thought and the exchange of information, energy, and ideas. The cypher has but one purpose: to create space, to place-make, to serve as a container for the energy we possess and must express.”
Take a moment to reread each definition of cypher. Contemplate your personal entrance into the cypher as you journey through this article, approaching it both as a physical event of inspired expression and as a broader, emerging pedagogy.
History of the Cypher
With the invitation to cyphers comes the essential act of paying homage to those who paved the way. Broadly speaking, the cypher is rooted in ancient oral traditions in which people gathered in circles to exchange knowledge and stories. In the context of Hip Hop, the cypher emerged from Black and Brown youth in New York City overcoming systemic inequities by creating a dynamic art form. Teenage ingenuity and resilience birthed a culture and music genre defined by five primary elements: dance, graffiti art, emceeing, DJing, and knowledge of self and community. Influential figures such as KRS-One later introduced additional elements like beatboxing, street entrepreneurialism, street fashion, and street language.
Who Am I to Write About Cyphers?
I enter the cypher aware of and embodying the privileges of our American context: I am a white, straight, cisgender adult. I teach at one of the more racially diverse high schools in Portland, Oregon—a city typically characterized by a predominantly white population. When I juxtapose my social constructs and location with Hip Hop—an art form created by Black and Brown teenagers in New York City during the 1970s and 1980s—the paradoxes of the cypher, where these identities converge, become evident. I fell in love with Hip Hop in the late 1980s and early 1990s; as an eleven-year-old, I traded Saturday morning cartoons for YO! MTV Raps. Over the decades, a key aspect of my personal development and identity has been my participation in Hip Hop culture, as I freestyled, wrote, and performed raps. Hip Hop taught me to love language, sparking my vocational path in education and leading me to my current role teaching Language Arts and Deep Roots—a songwriting elective at the secondary level. As a white teacher entering the cypher, it is essential that I first locate myself within my social constructs and educate from the dual vantage point of both knowledge and ignorance.
Implementing the Values of Cyphering Through Pedagogy
Through years of participating in and facilitating various cyphers, several core themes have emerged—the vibes of the cypher. These evolving guiding principles can be creatively implemented in classroom practices and overall educational perspectives:
• The cypher is the opposite of prison: it liberates language and bodies (Werning and Star 2018).
• Speak your truth; do no harm.
• Cultivate a sense of belonging for all.
• Build on the energy and topics introduced by each participant.
• Within the circle, we interact as equals, seeking equity.
• The facilitator guides the energy of the cypher—diversify who leads.
• Education emerges from community.
• The goal is to achieve liberation, freedom, and healing.
Take a moment to read through this list contemplatively.
Reflect: Which cypher value resonates with you? How might these values benefit the educational space in which you work? In what ways can cypher events and pedagogy highlight the genius already present in your students? Allow your creativity to bounce back and forth with colleagues and students, opening up possibilities for the cypher to bless your daily educational space.
Cypher Practices for Educational Settings
Weekly Cyphers
At a designated spot during lunch, high school students gather for the weekly freestyle Friday cypher. The half-hour session begins with a facilitator naming Hip Hop pioneers: DJ Kool Herc—Rock, Rock on; Grandmaster Flash—Rock, Rock on; Cindy Campbell—Rock, Rock on. The microphone is then passed around as each participant states their name or alias. I go by “Expectations,” and the other five students respond in a syncopated call: “Rock, rock on!” Each participant repeats the call-and-response, forming a circle. This cypher takes place at a high school in Northeast Portland, Oregon. Instrumental beats are provided either by a computer streaming from YouTube, by turntables playing ’90s boom bap beats, or occasionally by human beatboxers. Energy builds as some students spectate, others pull out their phones to recite written raps, and the brave souls improvise freestyles—crafting rhymes, flows, and stories on the spot. Heads nod and smiles emerge as the mic is passed, inviting a fresh expression of stories and energies each week.
Though these exchanges might be captured on video or audio, cyphers are meant for the moment. Some days, students delve into profound topics such as immigration, incarceration, violence, pain, and loss; on other days, the atmosphere is one of braggadocio, wordplay, punchlines, and street life. Often, a cypher blends both approaches, revealing its potential to create an inclusive space for raw expression and transformative storytelling. I advocate for consciously inviting the cypher—a vibrant Hip Hop cultural practice—into schools by students, educators, and administrators.
Rock, Rock On: A Ritual
Philadelphia artist Bahamadia released the song “YOUKNOWHOWWEDU” in 1996. At the end of the song, she offers a shoutout to the artists she respects and with whom she is affiliated.
One way to pay homage to Hip Hop creators is to begin a cypher—or a class session—with a call-and-response ritual. I inherited this practice from my friend and fellow Portland-based Hip Hop artist Desmond Spann (aka Dlux the Light), who uses a specific opening call and response to organize cyphers.
Here’s how it works:
1. A facilitator calls out the names of Hip Hop founders and pioneers over a beat; after each name, the group responds with “Rock, rock on.” In our circles, we have used names such as DJ Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Cindy Campbell, Queen Latifah, KRS-One, Roxanne Shante, and Tupac Shakur. As you study Hip Hop history, you will discover a plethora of artists to invite—experiment with what works for your cypher.
2. After the names are called, each participant states the name by which they wish to be known, and the group responds with “rock, rock on.”
3. An optional round may include invoking inspirations by name—whether ancestral names, inspirational artist names, elements, or any guides or leaders whose energy feels beneficial to invoke.
4. Following the Rock, Rock on ritual, participants may be invited to rap a written piece, warm up by counting quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes to the beat, play a rhyme game, engage in a call-and-response, or express themselves in another form.
5. Concluding the cypher with a final call-and-response and shoutouts highlighting the session’s best moments provides a beautiful ending.
6. Finally, grounding ourselves as educators in the historical lineage of the culture is vital—whether or not we grew up with Hip Hop. Influences on the emergence of Hip Hop in the 1970s include improvised jazz and blues compositions, Black barbershop traditions, Black Church preaching styles, and the Five Percent Nation. When Hip Hop was born in New York City during the 1970s and early 1980s, many early participants were affiliated with one or more of these traditions. Their styles of speech and dance blended over breakbeats from ’60s and ’70s funk, soul, and rock records. DJ Kool Herc, often considered the father of Hip Hop, invented the technique of looping breakbeats using two turntables after noticing that people loved to dance during these sections.
Reflect: The seed of cypher pedagogy lies in recognizing when your students are “dancing” with engagement during school. What elements can you loop and emphasize in your teaching practice to ignite their curiosity and expression? Where can student ingenuity create something truly vibrant?
Concluding Practice
To bring it full circle in the cypher that this article represents, place your two peace fingers where you can hear your heartbeat. Nod your head to that unique beat emanating from your chest, and envision Hip Hop as a current cultural expression of our collective heartbeat. Begin and continue your entry into the universal cypher by bringing your full self, your full breath, and your complete being to the gift of life. See yourself creating space for a dynamic life for both yourself and the young geniuses with whom you have the privilege to work.
Helpful Tips for Educators
How Educators Can Honor the Founders of Hip Hop and Its Elements
Educators are invited to explore various approaches to Hip Hop history. Recommended entry points include watching the Hip Hop Evolution series on Netflix; reading Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop by Jeff Chang; absorbing the numerous articles on HipHopalive.org—the home of Integral Hip Hop—by visionary Justin F. Miles (especially the article “Void School Rules Volume 2” for an essential understanding of Hip Hop history); tuning into the podcast Hip Hop Can Save America by Manny Faces; and watching the documentary Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme.
Another important step is for educators to become acquainted with Hip Hop practitioners and the history within their own communities—locally, regionally, nationally, and worldwide. There is a potent expression of Hip Hop waiting to be discovered with a bit of digging. Interview the Hip Hop knowledge holders you encounter on your journey, and study Toni Blackman’s book, Wisdom of the Cypher, for an in-depth exploration from a seasoned veteran, emcee, leader, and healer. Finally, center the preexisting knowledge of the youth in your space: What do they know about Hip Hop? How do they view its current state? Listen to understand—even when you disagree.
Approaching the Challenges of the Cypher
Educating in a post-COVID era has presented a myriad of challenges. The onslaught of social media, navigating AI accessibility, and the daily struggle within social hierarchies can take a toll on both young people and adults within our school systems. A critical examination of our educational institutions often reveals daunting realities of injustice and perceived lack.
It is understandable that educators become comfortable with established routines, as these routines seem to provide a degree of control over the school year’s grind to meet legally mandated instructional hours.
To be clear and unvarnished: facilitating a cypher in your classroom or school is neither an easy task nor advisable unless one is in a growth-oriented mindset.
Introducing the practice of the cypher involves embarking on a transformative journey—one in which educators explore their identities across the dimensions of consciousness, culture, craft, and community, as framed by Integral Hip Hop (Miles).
Engaging our consciousness requires emotional intelligence, inner self-work, and confronting our truths and deeper layers of being. Engaging culture involves interweaving identity within the contexts of history, race, oppression, resilience, and the wisdom that Hip Hop offers on how to survive and thrive. Engaging craft entails taking liberating responsibility to create with our words, music, art, and movements. Engaging community means spending time caring for one another, offering connection and support.
Depending on your students’ backgrounds, life experiences, and influences, genuine fears may arise when attempting to practice the cypher:
• What if students rap about violence, misogyny, or other taboo subjects?
• What if no one feels comfortable enough to open up?
• What if a student is ridiculed?
• What if the cypher does more harm than good?
• What if I lose control of the classroom?
• What if students emulate their favorite non–school-appropriate rapper?
From experience, these scenarios can and will occur. The invitation is to lean into our fears and embrace these uncomfortable expressions when they arise. Such experiences can invert traditional hierarchies in the school environment, allowing students to become our teachers. Moreover, these taboo topics may serve as fresh material for curriculum development, leading to authentic learning experiences.
If we, as educators, confront our fears of the unknown, we model a genuine human experience in the classroom—a transformative power that cannot be captured in standardized tests or taught in conventional teaching programs. Embracing the cypher and Integral Hip Hop holds the potential for a profound shift in how we perceive ourselves and our students.
Conclusion
In conclusion, cypher pedagogy offers an innovative approach to transformative education. By embracing the rich history and dynamic energy of Hip Hop culture, educators can create inclusive, creative, and liberating learning environments. The practice of the cypher not only honors the founders of Hip Hop but also invites a space where both students and teachers experience genuine expression and connection. Let the cypher serve as a call to action—a reminder to continually nurture and celebrate the collective genius within our educational communities.
References
Anchel, Peter H. 2016. “‘Fruits are Ripe, WE are Fresh’: The Rapper, The Emcee, The Cypher and the Participatory Spectrum of Hip-Hop.” Senior Projects Spring 2016. http://digitalcommons.bard.edu/senproj_s201/178.
Blackman, Toni. 2024. Wisdom of the Cypher. N.p.: Amazon Digital Services LLC – Kdp.
Miles, Justin F. 2019. “From Void School Rules Vol. 2—The Cypher.” Hip Hop Alive: The Home of Integral Hip Hop. http://hiphopalive.org/mind-spray/2019/11/27/void-school-rules-vol-2.
Miles, Justin F. 2022. “The Ins and Outs of Integral Hip Hop.” HipHop Alive: The Home of Integral Hip Hop. http://hiphopalive.org/integralhiphop.
Spann, Desmond. 2023. “Desmond Spann.” Desmond Spann. https://desmondspann.com.
Werning, Kate, and BJ Star. 2018. “The Cypher Is the Opposite of Prison: Liberating Language — The Peace Poets.” Irresistible Podcast 1, no. 23 (April). https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/23-the-cypher-is-the-opposite-of-prison/id130807852?i=1000409066290.
Westbrook, Alonzo. 2002. Hip Hoptionary: The Dictionary of Hip-Hop Terminology. N.p.: Crown.