The Justice Department has voiced “troubling” concerns over a California school district’s decision to invest close to $300,000 in a partnership aimed at teaching students through a rap-based curriculum.

The Merced City School District, known for its lower academic performance in California, has entered into a $270,000 contract with School Yard Rap, as reported by the New York Post.

This arrangement features a “Rap Camp” during the summer and an “African American Affinity Group,” raising questions about its adherence to federal regulations.

The district has allocated nearly $300,000 to integrate hip-hop into its teaching methods, collaborating with School Yard Rap to engage students through music.

The program offers a variety of lessons, including history, songwriting, DJ-ing, and live performances.

According to the School Yard Rap website, their curriculum aims to make historical lessons engaging by transforming them into relatable characters through songs and storytelling, fostering emotional connections.

Established in 2016, School Yard Rap, which operates in 28 states, presents “a world where learning meets rhythm, exploring diverse cultures and subjects through interactive music-infused modules.”

Merced has handed out $610,000 worth of contracts to School Yard Rap, the Post reported. Fox News Digital has reached out to the school district and School Yard Rap. 

The Justice Department told Fox News Digital that any race-based programming is “troubling.”

“It is illegal for the government to offer benefits solely on the basis of race. We have not had the opportunity to investigate these allegations, but if true, they are troubling,” Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, told Fox News Digital. 

The Merced City School District entered into a contract with School Yard Rap for a rap-based curriculum.  (iStock)

Brandon Brown, a former school teacher and founder of School Yard Rap, told the newspaper that the programming wasn’t exclusionary.

“This camp specifically — the African American Affinity Camp — is open to every single student grades 3rd to 8th, focusing on African American history and the diaspora,” he said. “I think this is politically driven and the reason this is being called out.”

However, one of School Yard Rap’s programs, titled “Moor than a Month” features song lyrics mimicking those by hip-hop group Migos, which talks about white patriarchy.

“I’mma be Black every day that I’m here, no cap, for more than a month, just like every Black kid in class,” the song said.

“So this album for them, but this track’s for you — every teacher and parent, you need this truth,” one line states. “History books have a white male skew, but believe me I ain’t blaming you. That’s who wrote it on paper — it’s a cycle by nature.”

The school district serves 11,400 students but has a student-teacher ratio of 25 to 1, according to Niche, a website that compiles data to rank and review schools. Only 13% of the students meet math-proficiency benchmarks, the report states. 

The Justice Department has launched probes recently into other school districts for alleged race-based programs and hiring practices. In April 2025, it began looking into Chicago Public Schools’ Black Student Success Plan over alleged race-based benefits. 

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