Disrupt the system, close the gap: Partnering with label, Jeremy Gant launches her own academy

Jeremy Gant was never supposed to stay quiet. Not in the classroom, not in the curriculum meetings and definitely not in the face of the gaps she saw every day in her students' education.

Gant, a full-time teacher, curriculum writer, and cultural architect, has now added another title to her repertoire: founder. This summer, she is launching the RWAR Academy, a six-week literacy program developed from the curriculum she helped create. Known as the self-proclaimed “First Lady of Reading with a Rapper,” Gant's innovative teaching approach has transformed into a widespread movement, focusing on student voices, teacher leadership, and the influence of music. Observing gaps in her students' education, Gant, an educator raised by educators, became a rebel by addressing her students' actual needs rather than strictly adhering to the curriculum.

From Rebel Teacher to RWAR Pioneer

In March 2025, Gant stood before a crowd of 75 educators and community leaders at the “Edutainment Revolution” workshop, co-hosted by Pharrell Williams' nonprofit Yellow. Backed by DJ Yobi Yobz and a live classroom simulation, she opened with the Buddieroe-backed Figurative Language Challenge—a call to action for those still clinging to outdated ideas of what education should look like.

This wasn't her first experience leading a room. As the initial educator in Reading with a Rapper's early pilot classes, Gant provided both critique and clarity. When she encountered co-founders Jarren Small and Douglas Johnson, it was a perfect match: she brought teaching expertise, they offered the platform, and together, they developed the RWAR curriculum: a blend of academic rigor, cultural pride, and musical literacy.

"[Jeremy] was the teacher I needed as a kid," says Small. “And now she owns her most important value as a teacher, her intellectual property, which are her lesson plans.”

That's significant. In contrast to numerous educational platforms that keep ownership of content, RWAR's approach guarantees that educators like Gant retain ownership of their lesson plans and the intellectual property they generate. This marks a revolutionary change, redefining both the education and entertainment sectors, which have traditionally turned individuals into products, by establishing their own guidelines.

A New Era, and Much More

RWAR Academy is set to launch this summer, offering literacy classes for students in grade 3 and above at The Hive, the headquarters of RWAR. However, this initiative goes beyond being a mere summer program. It serves as a proof of concept: What occurs when Black educators are equipped with the resources and the authority to take the lead?

Each course is taught by “edupreneurs,” handpicked and trained to use RWAR’s music-centered approach. Over six weeks, students build reading and critical thinking skills through the analysis of lyrics, literature, and language. The curriculum doesn’t just teach comprehension—it teaches connection.

“The brand is youthful, quirky, disruptive,” says Small. “This next phase is teacher-led. Parents can come to us. We’re asking: how do we get to the kid?”

Rooted in Community, Powered by Culture

Gant’s work is part of a larger vision that RWAR is building—a movement to restore education as a communal, culturally-anchored practice. From upcoming partnerships with Freedmen’s Town for their Cultureverse Camp, to free reading challenges this summer based on Lost & Found by BuddieRoe, RWAR is reclaiming literacy as a form of liberation.

“Teaching ourselves. Sharing with ourselves. That’s where it all started,” says Small. “We’re taking all the elements that are culturally us—churches, spirituals, slang—and using them to teach.”

This ethos—of reclaiming education through culture, creativity, and community—will be at the forefront at The Cypher, a town hall presented by Legends Do Live and the Greater Houston Black Chamber on June 20, 2025. The event brings together educators, small business leaders, and changemakers for a powerful evening of conversation, live demonstrations, and solutions focused on school access, ownership, and literacy. Among the highlights: a live Reading with a Rapper classroom experience, and a conversation with RWAR co-founder Jarren Small on the future of education in Houston.

It’s not just an event—it’s a mirror of the movement Jeremy Gant helped shape. One that doesn’t ask for permission to disrupt the system, but builds a better one from the ground up.

Because when teachers own their ideas, students own their futures.

Because when culture leads the way, learning becomes liberation. - [cayla grace sims, rhyme & reason.]

Ready to Be Part of It?

RWAR Academy is now open for summer enrollment. Explore the curriculum. Support the mission. See the movement in action.

Join us at The Cypher or visit readingwitharapper.com to learn more.

The revolution in literacy isn’t coming. It’s already here.

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About [rhyme and reason.]

[rhyme and reason.] is the storytelling and cultural journalism arm of Reading with a Rapper, documenting the people, programs and philosophies redefining education through hip-hop, literacy and community. We highlight educators, artists, and entrepreneurs shaping the future of learning, centered on joy, ownership and cultural relevance. From classrooms to cyphers, our mission is simple: make it make sense, and make it matter.