About RLFC
The Story Behind
Rap Lyrics For Class
The idea for Rap Lyrics For Class as a podcast was conceived by Executive Producer, Joe Malachi, who was a social studies teacher for two decades, and managed after-school programs for a dozen years. He explains, “I always saw how music connected with students in the classroom and would heighten their interest in the topic of the lesson, leading to amazing engagement and discussions. In the after school music programs, young enthusiastic rappers would come out, yet often they seemed to be missing the influence of the great lyricists who established the craft, and instead they would just try to emulate what seemed popular at the time. So we wanted to create a podcast appropriate for teachers to use with their students in class, and one that would also inspire up and coming rappers to take their lyrical creativity to another level. Kameelah is a respected artist and educator, and I was fortunate that she accepted the invitation to collaborate with me in creating this program. She has been an invaluable producer and host.”
Malachi recruited long-time friends, musician/producer Will Brock to record audio, and Jay Yachetta as videographer for each episode. Kyle Michaels was brought in through REC Philly to provide video editing for Season One. Guests on the podcast were invited by both Kameelah and Malachi.
The RLFC Production Team
As an artist and educator, Kameelah has vast experience in music and working with students that she brings to the table in her discussions with special guests who analyze the lyrics to a classic or contemporary hip hop song.
After decades as a songwriter and band leader, Kameelah established herself as a solo artist, releasing the singles Holding On and America the Beautiful on Ramrock Records, with many more songs recorded and ready for release coming soon.
As a teacher, artist and producer, Joe Malachi has always had a passion for building studios to allow musicians to come together and create. He came into the role of executive producer by learning the nuance by making a good match between a producer and artist while supporting them with resources and space to create in.
The Rap Lyrics For Class podcast became a great way for Malachi to share his love for music with thought-provoking lyrics with other teachers and students to inspire positive insightful discussions using hip hop as commentary on social issues.
Will Brock is an accomplished musician, singer, songwriter, producer and engineer who recently became a full-time music teacher. Will brings invaluable experience to Rap Lyrics For Class, which furthers his passion as a teaching artist committed to working with students to improve their lives.
Jay Yachetta has been a professional videographer for a decade, and has applied his expertise to recording Rap Lyrics For Class. His company, Unison Productions, has produced videos for many established brands. Jay also plays drums for the rock band Phantasm and has been a musician since high school.
Lamaje is pursuing a career as a professional musician, studying guitar, keyboards and vocals full-time. She is an aspiring songwriter and studio engineer. Lamjae took notes during the recording of the episodes for Rap Lyrics For Class, typed it in outline form and submitted the work to the production team to proceed with the editing process.
Executive Assistant
Lamaje Moss
Kayla is a huge fan of hip hop music. She helped review and edited the lyrics, according to parameters we set for her, so the songs featured on RLFC have content that is appropriate for the classroom. These edited versions of the lyrics appear on the screen when the songs are played on the video version of the podcast on YouTube. The clean lyric sheets are also available on our website for teachers to download and use as part of the lesson with the students.
Kayla is Senior in Chicago Public Schools and is scheduled to graduate in 2022 from Lake View High School. She plans to pursue a career in culinary arts as a pastry chef.
