Rapper Special Ed mentors nine Brooklyn teens in a new hip-hop and STEAM program

Rapper Special Ed is mentoring nine fellows from across Brooklyn through Power the Future, a new 11-month hip-hop and STEAM fellowship from the Hip-Hop Education Center and National Grid, AllHipHop reported on August 9. The program pairs hip-hop skills like MCing, beatmaking and filmmaking with STEAM training in science, technology, engineering, arts and math, and each fellow receives a Power Up Backpack with an iPad Pro, headphones, a microphone and Wi-Fi access.

The curriculum has fellows explore mathematics through rhythm and beatmaking, science through soundwaves and acoustics, technology through MIDI controllers and digital audio workstations, and engineering by building solar-powered USB chargers, alongside the physics and chemistry behind graffiti and aerosol design. Each fellow also gets a two-year membership to Hip-Hop Communiversity, the Hip-Hop Education Center's digital learning platform, where they can showcase work and build professional networks.

Martha Diaz, president and CEO of the Hip-Hop Education Center, framed the program as investing in community talent that already exists. "Hip-Hop has always been a laboratory for innovation, creativity, and problem-solving," she said. "Through Power the Future, we're connecting young people to the skills, mentors, and opportunities needed to shape tomorrow's workforce." Dr. Robert Simmons III, National Grid's vice president of U.S. social impact and community engagement, added that the fellowship "gives young people the tools, mentorship, and resources to lead as we reshape the energy landscape."

Special Ed, a Flatbush native who went gold with his 1989 debut Youngest in Charge and its single "I Got It Made," brings decades of mentorship experience to the program's MC pathway. He has spent years running his own Brooklyn studio developing younger artists, AllHipHop reported.

The partnership between the Hip-Hop Education Center and National Grid began in August 2025 with MC Lyte, and Power the Future publicly launches August 18 at Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library, with a live cypher, an interactive opening session led by Soul Science Lab, and a series of Next Up conversations pairing fellows with industry mentors. The fellowship runs through June 2027, with fellows earning paid positions alongside ongoing mentorship from National Grid professionals and established artists.

The program lands the same week Goodie Mob stepped into their own first film producing credit, part of a run of hip-hop artists this August extending their reach beyond music into mentorship, education and independent media.