Over the past few years, artists like Bun B, Jim Jones and J. Rawls have helped bridge Hip Hop and education with their respective teaching gigs. Now, it looks like the advances Hip Hop has made in the educational realm have taken a blow, as a candidate for a position on the Atlanta school board came under fire for his affiliation with Houston duo UGK.
AllHipHop recently reported that Byron Amos lost his support from an influential teachers union as a candidate for the school board due to his connection to the Underground Kingz. After learning that Amos served as Vice President for Pimp C’s UGK Records and appeared in a number of the group’s music videos, the Atlanta Federation of Teachers pulled their support for him in his bid for a position on the Atlanta school board.
“For him to actually want to run for the board and say that he cares about children, when what he’s doing is using this music to do the worst for our children,” Shawnna Hayes Tavarez, president of Southwest Northwest Atlanta Parents and Partners for Schools. “It’s like robbing them and killing them. It’s like cheating for them.”
Despite Tavarez’s complaint, Amos has been active in the educational community for a number of years. The President of the Atlanta Federation of Teachers Verdaillia Turner spoke to Amos’s credibility and his extensive experience in the education.
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“Mr. Amos stood out as the only candidate with children in Atlanta Public Schools. He’s been very actively engaged,” she explained.
Amos has yet to respond to the attacks on his past work with UGK or loss of his support from the union. DX will keep you updated as more information on the situation comes to light.
