If they'd been born 20 years earlier, the kids at East High School would have witnessed the birth and infancy of hip-hop. Ten years and they'd have seen its jump into the mainstream. But the current crop of East Angels came into a world where hip-hop has always been the mainstream and the closest thing we have to a world culture has been their culture as well. So it helps when someone like James Laurie can speak on their level.

Laurie, a peer tutoring coordinator at East, along with Colorado Hip Hop Coalition founder Jeff "Apostle" Campbell, put together a day of activities blending hip-hop music, spoken word performances and guest lectures called WORD: The Power of Self-Expression on April 13.

"What we tried to do was create a day that celebrated literacy and lyricism," Laurie said. "In the workshop, we looked at the power of words, sexism and racism." But discussion dug deeper than a little solemn head-nodding about the evils of prejudice and turned talk from the on-air remarks of Don Imus back onto students themselves. "Jeff really challenged them to consider the power of the words they use," Laurie said. "He was challenging students on misogyny and homophobia."

The day's events were capped off with performances at the neighboring Twist and Shout record shop. Performers included East High students, student groups Wake Up! and Check Your Head, Apostle, East special education paraprofessional Monticlevah, local veteran PAAS and the Flobots, which Laurie fronts as emcee alter-ego Jonny 5.

The dual role of educator and rapper is something Laurie relishes. When most musicians talk about hip-hop's role in teaching young people, they take Chuck D's rap-as-CNN model, where an intelligent, socially conscious song can expose listeners to facts and ideas they may otherwise never hear. For Jonny 5, it's about getting kids to discover their own truth.

"When students find out that I rap, they see me in a different light. Hip-hop helps me find out what's happening in their lives. A lot of times, what they're doing is processing trauma. They're finding a way to channel the negative experiences into something positive."

That transformation of pain into power played big during students' performances of music and poetry, as they kept returning to themes including family members sent to war, being sold short by older generations and trying to overcome prejudice.

A mini-set of Flobots tunes interspersed through the show tackled topics of injustice, civil rights and more. While the group, made up of two emcees and an extensive live band, aren't exclusively a "political" group, they're looking at making an impact down the road.