A local nonprofit that helps youth through hip-hop therapy was spotlighted on "The Kelly Clarkson Show" this week.
Beats Rhymes and Life is an Oakland-based organization that exists to "reduce stigma and increase access for youth of color and other marginalized youth seeking therapeutic services," according to its website.
The nonprofit's mission is to "cultivate dynamic, culturally congruent services through community engagement and the therapeutic power of hip-hop that inspires youth to recognize their own capacity for healing and self-expression."
Beats Rhymes and Life co-founder Rob Jackson and student-turned-staffer Lemondre joined Clarkson, along with guest of the show Common, on Tuesday to discuss their community work.
"[This all started] 20 years ago. We really wanted to create an opportunity for young people to heal. It's really that simple," Jackson said. "We know in the Black and Brown communities in particular, we don't trust people when it comes to our business. At the same time, because of that we internalize a lot of the trauma, complex trauma and post-traumatic stress."
As Jackson explains, Beats Rhymes and Life brings together social workers, peer specialists and teaching artists to do group work for children from ages 12-17.
"The idea is really to create an opportunity for young people to explore their stories, so we look at their self and their community. And then we look at the history of hip-hop because it really started with this idea of speaking against the ills of our community and having a voice against oppression," Jackson said.
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"So, for us, it's about combining things like narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy and self-psychology, and partnering with our triads to do our groups."
Common, a three-time Grammy Award winner, said that hip-hop has been a version of therapy for him.
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"I love that you all make the connection (between hip-hop and therapy)," Common said. "I really didn't know until later when I would write certain songs, I would release certain things that were in my self-conscious, things that I've been through that they were coming out in my songs. And I got to examine them when I would hear them or people would come to me and say, 'Hey, your song made me decide to have my child' or 'It made me decide to start doing meditation.'"
Beats Rhymes and Life has served more than 4,500 youth, held more than 35 youth showcases and trained more 1,500 social service providers, according to its website.
At the end of the interview, Clarkson surprised the Beats Rhymes and Life reps with $10,000 in donations -- $5,000 from Cerebral, an online mental health platform, and $5,000 from Clarkson herself.
"I think it's so cool what you're doing," Clarkson said. "Such a healthy outlet and it's a way that has really helped me. So I want to help those kids that were me as well."
You can watch "The Kelly Clarkson Show" weekdays at 3 p.m. PT on NBC Bay Area.
