Hip Hop Fundamentals

What Hip Hop Fundamentals does

Hip Hop Fundamentals is a Philadelphia-based, privately held arts education company founded in 2012 that delivers live Hip Hop dance performances, workshops, and multi-week residencies to K-12 schools across the mid-Atlantic region, alongside free community programming and mission-aligned merchandise. Its core product is a portfolio of curriculum-aligned assembly programs — The Principles of Hip Hop (flagship), Civil Rights Movements, and Hip Hop 4 Health — built on a methodology that blends high-energy breaking performances with interactive cultural and historical education. Extended offerings include 1- and 2-week in-school residencies culminating in student choreography performances, and a free afterschool program at three Philadelphia community centers serving youth ages 8-17.

The company employs a 10-person team of certified teaching artists led by co-founders Steve Believe (Steve Lunger) and BoxWon (Ben Barnes, a 5x world champion breaker). Distribution is anchored by a long-running partnership with Young Audiences of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania, which routes programs to more than 10,000 elementary students annually. Direct bookings are taken through the company website, supplemented by performances at cultural institutions (African American Museum in Philadelphia, Woodmere Art Museum, Asian Arts Initiative).

Revenue is generated through three channels: fee-based school assembly and residency bookings (quote-based, not publicly listed), foundation and government grants (William Penn Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, NJ Division of Disability Services), and a small e-commerce merchandise line ($20-$50 apparel with a Nike Dri-FIT collaboration). Pricing for educational programming is bespoke by engagement, while merchandise is sold at unit prices. Since 2012 the organization claims to have served over 400,000 students and operates with no disclosed external funding rounds, parent company, or institutional investors.

Name

Hip Hop Fundamentals

Legal name

Hip Hop Fundamentals

Website

https://hiphopfundamentals.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Philadelphia-based arts education company delivering Hip Hop dance performances, workshops, and residencies to K-12 schools across the mid-Atlantic, supplemented by free community afterschool programs and mission-aligned merchandise.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Performing Arts Education

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Physical Education & Health Instruction (EDAJAFAL), Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)

Keywords

• K-12 arts education
• School assembly programs
• Hip Hop dance education
• Cultural arts residencies
• Youth performing arts workshops

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. School Assembly and Performance Programs: Fee-based assemblies and performances delivered to K-12 schools. Programs include The Principles of Hip Hop, Civil Rights Movements, and Hip Hop 4 Health. Schools book directly through the website or via the Young Audiences partnership.
2. Residencies and Workshops: Extended engagement programs lasting 1-2 weeks where professional breakers work directly with students. Residencies culminate in student performances. Group workshops teach breaking basics, choreography creation, and Hip Hop cultural history.
3. Afterschool Program: Free afterschool dance program at three Philadelphia community centers serving youth ages 8-17, funded by the William Penn Foundation. Serves as youth development and community engagement.
4. Merchandise Sales: Apparel sales including t-shirts, pullover jackets, bucket hats, and waffle beanies. Proceeds directly support the mission of bringing Hip Hop arts education to young people.
5. Grant Funding: Funding received from foundations including William Penn Foundation and Inclusive Healthy Communities Grant from the Division of Disability Services, New Jersey Department of Human Services and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Hip Hop Fundamentals provides high-quality live performances, workshops, and multi-week residencies to K-12 schools, using Hip Hop culture, breaking dance, and Civil Rights education as the instructional vehicle. Its core programs are The Principles of Hip Hop (flagship performance), Civil Rights Movements, Hip Hop 4 Health, Residencies & Workshops, and a free Philadelphia-based afterschool program. The company also sells branded apparel to fund its educational mission.

Product overview

Hip Hop Fundamentals is an award-winning arts education company offering a portfolio of live performance programs and workshops for K-12 schools. The core offering consists of five programs: The Principles of Hip Hop (flagship performance), Civil Rights Movements, Hip Hop 4 Health, Residencies & Workshops, and a free Afterschool Program. All programs feature professional teaching artists who blend dance instruction with cultural education. Additionally, the company operates a merchandise store selling branded apparel including t-shirts, pullovers, jerseys, bucket hats, and beanies, with proceeds directly supporting the mission of bringing Hip Hop arts education to young people. Free supplementary resources including worksheets and video content are also provided.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hip Hop 4 Health: A choose-your-own-adventure style assembly program that teaches K-6 students about healthy eating, hydration, and physical activity through high-energy Hip Hop dance.
• Civil Rights Movements
• The Principles of Hip Hop

Products and services

• Principles of Hip Hop Flagship live assembly program for K-12 audiences featuring dynamic professional breaking, Hip Hop history and cultural education, and on-stage student participation in traditional dance moves. Designed for schools seeking high-engagement arts programming.
• Civil Rights Movements School assembly program centered on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s message of love, teaching K-12 students about segregation, racism, and non-violent direct action through Hip Hop dance, storytelling, and audience interaction.
• Hip Hop 4 Health High-energy interactive K-6 assembly that teaches healthy living, fitness, nutrition, and positive lifestyle choices through high-energy Hip Hop dance, interactive battles, and a choose-your-own-adventure narrative where the audience decides what the main character eats, drinks, and does.
• Residencies & Workshops Extended 1-week and 2-week dance residencies plus individual and full-day group workshops for K-12 schools, in which professional breakers teach basics of breaking, choreography creation, and Hip Hop cultural history. Groups of up to 30 students; residencies culminate in student performances, with arts-integrated residencies available on request.
• Afterschool Program Free afterschool dance education program for Philadelphia youth ages 8-17, run 3 days per week at North Light Community Center, Southwest Leadership Academy Charter School, and Tiffany Fletcher Recreation Center. Focuses on Hip Hop culture, breaking instruction, rhythm, body awareness, and collaborative choreography. Funded by the William Penn Foundation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 400,000 students served since founding in 2012
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Young Audiences of New Jersey and Eastern PennsylvaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary distribution partner for school programs. Through this partnership, more than 10,000 elementary school students receive arts education annually. Young Audiences is a nonprofit arts education organization connecting artists to schools in the region.
• City LoveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated to create the 'Eat Healthy, Drink Healthy & Move!' song specifically for the Hip Hop 4 Health assembly program. City Love wrote, produced, and recorded the song featuring Hip Hop Fundamentals.
• Documentarian Aidan UnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered to create footage of Co-Founder Steve Believe working with students during a residency program at Paterson School 15. Part of the United We Discover initiative.
• African American Museum in PhiladelphiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Martin Luther King Day programming. Museum hosts Hip Hop Fundamentals performances that engage audiences of all ages in Civil Rights education through dance.
• Woodmere Art MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for MLK Day programming and ongoing cultural events. Partnership showcases Hip Hop culture as part of Philadelphia's artistic heritage.
• Asian Arts InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhiladelphia community arts organization. Hip Hop Fundamentals has conducted workshops for nearly a decade through this partnership, with Youth Education Programs Manager Kong Yang endorsing the program as 'fun, engaging, and educational.'

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute: Education division of a major performing-arts institution offering K-12 programs, professional development for teachers, and curriculum-aligned arts learning; broader portfolio but overlapping school programming and mission.
• Lincoln Center Education: Education arm of Lincoln Center providing K-12 arts programming, teacher training, and curriculum resources; comparable institutional scale and arts-education mission though broader performing-arts scope than HHF.
• Young Audiences: National network of arts-education affiliates (including HHF's own distribution partner Young Audiences of NJ/Eastern PA) that curates and distributes performing-arts programming to schools at scale; broader portfolio but overlapping school-buyer focus.

Direct peers

• Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education: Dance education arm of Atlanta Ballet offering K-12 outreach, residencies, and community programming. Comparable to HHF in delivering dance instruction through school and community partnerships.
• Step Afrika!: Cultural dance education company that delivers performances and residencies to K-12 schools focused on percussive dance traditions, directly comparable to HHF's cultural-dance-with-history-model for schools.
• Disney Musicals in Schools: K-12 arts-in-education residency and assembly model operated by Disney Theatrical Group that, like HHF, partners with schools to deliver performing-arts-driven educational programming directly inside the school day.
• National Theatre for Children: Live performance-based educational company that tours K-12 schools nationwide delivering curriculum-aligned programs, closely matching HHF's assembly-and-residency delivery format and target buyer (school administrators).
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Iconic American dance institution that runs AileyCamp and school-based dance education programs serving K-12 students, overlapping directly with HHF's dance-as-education mission and curriculum-aligned cultural offerings.
• Story Pirates: Educational entertainment company that uses live performance, storytelling, and curriculum-tied content to engage K-12 students, very similar to HHF's interactive, audience-participatory teaching-artist model.

Emerging players

• Urban Arts Partnership: NYC-based nonprofit focused on K-12 arts education in underserved communities; comparable mission to HHF's afterschool/community programs with similar underserved-youth focus, though broader artistic scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/hiphopfundamentals
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/HipHopFundamentals
• Instagraminstagram.com/hiphopfundamentals
• Facebookfacebook.com/hiphopfundamentals
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hip-hop-fundamentals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hip Hop Fundamentals