By Darlene Donloe
Contributing Writer
CULVER CITY — “School Yard Rap” creator Brandon “Griot B” Brown doesn’t wait for history class.
On June 19, he brings it to the microphone in Culver City for “Griot B: A Celebration of Black Excellence,” a Juneteenth show mixing hip-hop, theater and free groceries.
The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Robert Frost Auditorium, 4401 Elenda St., and is expected to draw 1,200 students, families, teachers and community leaders.
The event pairs Brown’s School Yard Rap set with a community resource fair: celebrity guests, live music, health screenings and free groceries and diapers for L.A. families, plus activities for kids. Health screenings include blood pressure checks, dental and vision exams,
“This is a resource fair and a freedom celebration,” Brown said. “Juneteenth is the day America said, ‘All these citizens are free.’ That matters.”
Brown, 39, said his Juneteenth set will mirror his School Yard Rap school shows that include hip-hop, live theater, and “history kids actually remember.”
“It’s Hamilton-esque,” he said. “Broadway energy. I poured everything into this. I want people to hear the truth, celebrate our collective excellence, and see themselves in a positive light as Black folks.”
An educator who swapped lesson plans for a microphone, turning Black history into a stage show, Brown is often compared to “Hamilton for this generation.” The numbers back it up.
Since launching School Yard Rap in 2016, the former assistant principal has built it into a nationally recognized education company reaching 228 districts across 24 states and more than one million students.
Through music, storytelling and live performance, School Yard Rap teaches history, culture, literacy, leadership and civic engagement. Its work spans virtual curriculum, original songs, assemblies, concerts, field trips and teacher training.
“I do it to create immersive educational experiences for students and families,” said Brown, who was born in Fresno and grew up in the View Park-Crenshaw community. “The Juneteenth celebration is a chance for students to see themselves in the story.”
Brown, who is redefining education through culture, has built School Yard Rap into a nationally recognized educational entertainment business.
As a business success story, School Yard Rap programs and live productions have generated more than $1.7 million in revenue while expanding into schools, theaters, assemblies, after-school programming, curriculum and family-focused live experiences nationwide.
“I started School Yard Rap because I thought it would be a fun way to teach kids,” said Brown, whose mother and uncle were in education. “Remember Schoolhouse Rock? Same premise. I just had to figure out how to make it for this generation.”
Brown admits he has a soft spot for kids.
“Kids are the future,” he said. “We have to teach them well. Look at what they get from the media every day. There’s no counterbalance. No other story. That’s why this work matters. They are the most vulnerable, and yet the most valuable commodity we have.”
Brown makes sure kids see themselves in history.
“We talk about Latinos, Black folks, Asian Pacific Islanders and women,” he said. “Every show highlights young ladies, because girls don’t see themselves enough. They don’t know what people who look like them have built. I use music, so everybody learns.”
Fresh off an NPR Tiny Desk Contest “On The Road” in San Francisco, Brown, a married father of two, is excited about bringing his show home.
“I always loved history,” said Brown, who majored in history and cultural studies with an emphasis on African American studies from UC Davis and has a master’s in education from Pepperdine University. “I was a history teacher in Inglewood and in Watts. I was going to go to culinary school, but I had one of those ‘come to Jesus’ moments where I realized that my impact as a Black man was needed in the classroom. I shifted my whole trajectory and went all in on education, and that’s how I started working with kids.”
Brown says history is “the number one thing under scrutiny today.”
“It’s always trying to be erased in our schools,” he said. “My calling is to give kids the truth — and make it fun.”
Brown knew it was time to change his life in 2019. He quit his assistant principal job in Richmond in the Bay Area.
“I took a leap of faith,” he said. “I made the first-ever Black history album. I wanted schools to use my music as curriculum. Things fell through.”
Then he found APCA, the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities, which connects artists with college event planners.
“I went on a whim, performed, and booked 52 schools,” Brown said, who also runs School Yard Rap Camp each summer for third through eighth graders.
“That’s when I knew I was walking in my purpose. It wasn’t just Black kids. White kids needed the true history too — just as much as our Black babies.”
Brown, who has a six-track record called “Good Trouble” coming out June 18. The title is a nod to civil rights activist John Lewis, which highlights Black history.
“I’m talking about the leaders, movements and citizens who helped expand civic participation and voting access and representation throughout American history, starting with the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the Reconstruction Era, Jim Crow, and the new Jim Crow that’s being proliferated.
June is stacked for Brown, who had a June 12 Tiny Desk “On The Road” set in San Francisco. His new Juneteenth single and video, “Fresh Out” also were released.
Asked about his artist name, “Griot B,” Brown said it comes from the roots in the West African tradition of the griot, historians and storytellers entrusted with preserving culture.
“I think it’s the utmost responsibility to be a purveyor of truth and a historian for the kids,” he said. “I carry that legacy forward for a new generation.”
Brown hopes young people get something out of his shows.
“In every assembly and concert, I have a mantra that we want every kid to repeat,” Brown said. “‘I am amazing. I am intelligent. I am powerful. I am beautiful. I am worthy.’ I want every kid, regardless of race, color, or creed, to believe those things. If they believe, they will be better humans, better citizens and this country will be a better place.”
Darlene Donloe is a freelance reporter for Wave Newspapers who covers South Los Angeles. She can be reached at ddonloe@gmail.com.
