A$AP Rocky Teaches Harlem Students the Art of Rap on Celebrity Substitute

A$AP Rocky stepped into teacher mode, becoming Mr. Mayers as he taught students at a Harlem school all about Rap music in a new episode of ‘Celebrity Substitute’.

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The Harlem native paid a visit to PS 125, where he was visibly excited to connect with the students. Speaking about returning to his old neighborhood, he shared:

‘Man, this is the heart of Harlem. I grew up here. I’m happy to be here and tap in with the youth. I heard through the grapevine I’m the first rapper to be here, so we’re going to be teaching rap today, boys and girls.’

The ‘L$D’ rapper also explained why learning about Rap music matters:

‘Because it’s not only one of the most popular, influential cultural genres, but it’s also just cool as s***.’

As part of the lesson plan, Rocky broke down the fundamentals of crafting a song:

‘We’ll be teaching the kids how to format a rap song. We’ll teach them subject matter, and then we’ll also teach them arithmetic. It’s numbers, the way you count music.’

In addition to songwriting basics, the ‘Dope’ actor encouraged the students to freestyle, emphasizing confidence and self expression. The class even collaborated with the MC to turn their freestyles into an original track titled ‘IDK’, inspired by songs from ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ and ‘Punk Rocky’. The experience was capped off with a music video filmed alongside him.

Catch the full ‘Celebrity Substitute’ episode below: