(AllHipHop News) Last week, Detroit rapper Big Sean and Ellen DeGeneres made a surprise visit to a North Carolina classroom.
Once there, they helped 29-year-old teacher Mr. Bonner make a rap video for his song “Read It.”
The video was the concept of 29-year-old North Carolina teacher, Michael Bonner , who teaches second graders at Greenville Elementary.
Mr. Bonner decided to teach his students through rap after a group of the youngsters failed a reading test.
He began incorporating music into his classroom teaching.
Mr. Bonner promised the students if they pass the reading test, they could make a rent video about what they had learned.
The result was the video “Read It,” which caught the eyes of TV Host Ellen Degeneres.
“What really inspired me for the video was to see my students grow academically, particularly the African American boys in my classroom,” Mr. Bonner said. “Our school is a Title One school which means we have a very high poverty rate. FBI statistics show that one out of three African American boys go to prison. I have 12 in my class. I know education is the key to overcoming poverty and the catalyst to them getting a head start on life. That was my motivation for making the music video an incentive.”
Ellen flew the class of students out last week and put them in a recording studio and surprised the students with artist Big Sean, who help them shoot the video for “Read It.”
Mr. Bonner made an appearance on Ellen in January, as well, where she gifted him tens of thousand dollars worth of electronic equipment.
