“We don’t go there to put on a show, but if you get a show out of it that’s O.K. too,” proclaims 28-year-old rapper Tyraine Ragsdale, a.k.a. Grand Hank of his innovative and motivational performances. Of coarse, entertaining his audience is a priority, but he says the bottom line is to build self-esteem by promoting education, science, and Black History. Well… that’s not so unusual. Groups like Arrested Development and Public Enemy have been known to drop a little knowledge here and there. But, can rap be an available educational tool? Grand Hank thinks so. Armed with a degree in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh, he is on a mission to turn this hypothesis into a fact.

Employed as a research chemist for Robert Wood Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute (a Johnson & Johnson Company), Ragsdale explains, “One day I stopped to look behind me and I didn’t see anyone else. That was frightening.” He was determined to find a way to help others reach his level of success, he new that many youth were deterred from careers in science because of preconceived notions that scientist were nerds. Others did not see scientific careers as an option for non-whites. He was convinced that African-American youth do not pursue higher levels of education because doctors, lawyers, and scientist are not part of their everyday realities. There are many Black role models, but few existing mediums to channel information. As a young Black chemist his mission was to absorb all existing information of African-American scientists and to be that channel. The question was… How?

Rap is an integral and significant part of our culture. Youth eat, drink, and sleep rap. “When you rap it sticks,” says Ragsdale “If some physics is put in it, a person may find they learned a concept he/she previously thought difficult to grasp.”

While attending University City High School, Ragsdale had fun and made money on the weekends spinning records as a deejay. Moving to college, this skill transferred into a small entrepreneurial venture, which became Grand Hank Productions, Inc. he credits science for providing the critical thinking skills that helped him start his business. “I had all the ingredients,” Ragsdale says, “I was a scientist who had a background in music.” This revelation was the foundation for the Educational Rap Lecture.

Check it out…Grand Hank steps to the mic inconspicuously donned as a typical hip-hop artist, baseball cap, jeans, et al. The three-man show, which includes Grand Hank; DJ Derrick Burnet; and choreographer, Bill Keitt, set the tone for a sho-nuff jam session. To an overwhelming response Grand Hank shouts, “Pump it up! Knowledge is power!” Then he drops a rhyme.

Bust this…
When you think electrical current
The brother had no fear
So let’s acknowledge the design of Louis Latimer
Like when the sun goes down
And it turns night
He harvested electric current
And made it give off light
The formula for the electric lamp
Was his invention
Check the history books
And it’s not even mentioned
He brought us from candles to electric light, Louis Latimer
Gets people all up tight…

From the seats of their school auditorium the crowd jumps up screaming, “Hey, Ho! Hey, Ho!” Mission accomplished. Their attention is grabbed. How does he know his audience is listening to his message and jammin’ to a slammin’ beat?

Enthusiastic listener reassures him by memorizing lyrics on the spot. If he’s not convinced the message is heard, he busts the same rhyme again.

What’s all the hype about?
The Educational Rap Lecture (ERL) is “a synthesis of experiences of a scientist and a  hip-hop deejay.” Says Ragsdale. “Its desire is to educate, inspire, and positively influence. Urban  youth."

The ERL is for everyone, but specifically, “those on the border, right on the fence, who can do well, but don’t know how,” says Ragsdale. Many youth do not see the benefit of school, others are just difficult to reach. In an attempt to reach everyone, the ERL combines visual, auditory, and kinesthetic representational systems. Each child learns differently, the ERL allows its audience to see, hear, and feel the message.

When people see something that is different, they are usually critical. Ragsdale says the ERL was designed with the intent to put people at ease. Even students who are skeptical at first. “They think that because I am from around the way I can’t be educated,” says Ragsdale. “ But we put those myths to rest in the first five minutes. You can’t teach them anything if you don’t have their attention. And the way to get their attention is to make them think.”

Who can fight”
Everyone responds…
“What would happen in a world
if you had to fight but couldn’t use your
hands?
No answer…
“Then we drop a beat on them.”
The answer… use your knowledge,
Knowledge is power.

By this point in the presentation Grand Hank has undergone complete metamorphosis. Making subtle changes in his attire (the baseball cap has disappeared, and a white lab coat covers his t-shirt) the rapper takes on the appearance of a scientist. The impact of this symbolic change is realized by the audience. Dancing and shouting the names of their ancestors-Louis Latimer, Granville Woods, Elijah McCoy-names some of them have never heard of before, this helped them see that science could in fact be a career option.

The message is traveling. “It has been estimated that the ERL has reached more than 100,000 people. Its overwhelming response has triggered numerous presentations at schools and colleges throughout Philadelphia and the East Coast. Ragsdale has appeared on news and public affair programs at the Black Expo in Philadelphia, New York, and Washington D.C. The lecture has also been presented at the Black Family Reunion and the Martin Luther King Youth Assembly sponsored by the office of Senator Harris Wofford.

Grand Hank Productions, Inc. is enjoying steady and continuous growth. It has developed into a multi-media company that develops, produces, manufactures, and markets its own products, which include; posters, T-shirts, audio and video cassettes. GHPI’s first album is titled “Education of a Nation.” In order to offset the cost of presentation GHPI is currently seeking out sponsorship.

Ragsdale feels the time is now for the ERL. He believes he has reached a level where he has perspective but is still young enough to understand the concerns and struggles of today’s youth. “I really enjoy what I am doing,” he says. Because of the efforts of Ragsdale and people like him, youth are learning and being exposed to information they otherwise would not. But, they are just the messengers, the bottom line, Ragsdale concludes, “once you take responsibilities for your actions and determine it is you that is in control of your destiny, success is imminent.

GHPI is currently scheduling ERL presentations for 1993-94 school season. For more information contact Tyraine Ragsdale at (215) 724-5260.

Rapper Grand Hank