NyRee Clayton-Taylor

To engage, enlighten, and educate is NyRee Clayton-Taylor’s focus as she uses Hip-Hop to explore the therapeutic healing of writing, rapping, and performing. NyRee didn’t think academic achievement was a possibility due to being retained in third grade, labeled with a learning disability, and characterized as a behavior problem. It wasn’t until a teacher saw her performing and encouraged her to use her talents to write poetry that she decided to use her life as a catalyst for teaching. She changed her trajectory and became the first person in her family to graduate from college.

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NyRee Clayton-Taylor considers her most significant contribution to be her ability to build relationships with students and her community. NyRee has won many awards but used the 2019 KY Elementary Teacher of the Year Award to launch HHN2L: Hip Hop Into Learning, along with her husband, Antonio “T-Made” Taylor. With the seed funding coming directly from the pockets of the two founders, NyRee and Antonio have built a program that engages youth. Their dedication and investment has transformed HHN2L into a beacon of hope and inspiration, fostering creativity, confidence, and community among the youth they serve.