Uplifting The Deaf Community Through Hip Hop

Uplifting The Deaf Community Through Hip Hop

Matthew Maxey is making rap music accessible to deaf people everywhere. Deafinitely Dope, who is deaf is spreading awareness for increased accessibility in music and media for the deaf community.

Before starting his company in 2014, Maxey was inspired to start professionally signing after exploring his own identity in society.

Deafinitely Dope has signed high profile empowering acts like: Logic, D.R.A.M. and Chance The Rapper.

“Hip hop is always more entertaining because hip hop is always a story, no matter what it’s been perceived as, no matter how people listen to it, it’s almost like being a street poet. For something like country or pop, it’s very straightforward. It’s very “hey, let’s go out and have a great time tonight.” “I’ve got a feelin’, that tonight’s gonna be a good good night.” There’s only so many ways you can interpret that. Compared to someone who uses wordplay or puns, or tries to sneak in a fast one those challenges are what drove me to apply sign language to it.”

Maxey thinks hip-hop music is the best music for his work at Deafinitely Dope because of the genre’s fluid feel good relationship between lyrics and meaning. 15% of American adults identify as deaf or hard of hearing.

“It’s important for kids to see sign language represented on stage, especially seeing a deaf representative, because it gives them more hope and inspiration that they can enjoy music, that they can do things that people told them they couldn’t do.”

Maxey hopes Deafinitely Dope push for more accommodation for the deaf community by inspiring and changing the world through music.

Brut.