For over 50 years, Children’s Services of Roxbury (CSR) has provided wraparound programs for children and families including family shelter, culturally attuned behavioral health services, foster care and family support, early education and childcare, and youth development. This track record alone is impressive, but the outcomes of CSR’s innovative hip-hop therapy program demonstrate how life’s rough beats can be transformed into harmony and meaningful change for the youth and young adults who participate.

Serving more than 6.000 children and families annually across Greater Roxbury, Greater Lowell, Worcester and Greater Springfield, CSR stands out as one of Massachusetts’ largest Black-run nonprofits. Its programs aim to break the cycle of systemic racism and empower families and young adults on their journey from poverty to stability and wealth-building.

The Beats, Rhymes, and Life (BRL) program launched by CSR in 2018 based on an approach founded in Oakland, California, stands out for the ways it engages youth through hip-hop therapy and reflects CSR’s commitment to addressing mental health needs in communities of color. Leading this transformative program is Darryl Huggins, who has dedicated the past decade to making a difference in his community.

Growing up in a rough neighborhood with a loving family, Darryl developed a sense of empathy from a young age. “I recognized the differences between my household and some of my friends’ and realized the privilege I had just by having both my parents at home and the love they poured into me,” he shares. This upbringing fueled his desire to give back, guiding him on the path to helping other young people access better opportunities.

Darryl Huggins, RBL's Director.

After a career shift from corporate to community service driven by his desire to effect positive change, Darryl found fulfillment in leading the BRL program. “I made a complete 360 in my career and really wanted to do work that felt more meaningful and benefited my community. It’s been the best decision ever since.”    

Darryl’s background in various roles at CSR, including youth and school-based programming and business management, prepared him well for his current position. 'When I see kids who struggle with expressing themselves come to the showcase, confident and happy with new tools to process their emotions, that’s what I’m in for. I’m in it for these kids to be emotionally happy and have good emotional well-being.'

The BRL program is designed to reach adolescents who may be hesitant to engage with traditional behavioral health services. It uses hip-hop as a therapeutic outlet for young people who have faced trauma, combining narrative and expressive arts techniques with youth development principles. This unique blend helps participants recognize their capacity for healing and self-expression through activities that integrate music and personal storytelling.

BRL Showcase Event - Spring 2024

Over the past five years, BRL has made a significant impact, reaching over 750 youth through workshops and therapeutic activity groups. The success of BRL is evident in significant reductions in anxiety (33%), trauma reactions (52%) and depression (22%), outperforming the outcomes from traditional programs.  

At the end of every season, BRL hosts a showcase where program participants perform what they have been working on. This event not only highlights their progress and creativity but also provides an opportunity for them to share their stories and talents with the community.

In the summer of 2021, BRL introduced a mobile recording studio that travels directly to Boston’s urban neighborhoods. By bringing the recording studio directly to the youth in the communities it serves, BRL lowers barriers to participation and reduces stigma.

The mobile studio allows young people to record and mix their own music, making the therapeutic process both engaging and tangible. Licensed CSR clinicians are on site to support participants during the sessions. “This allows us to reach more kids, even if they’re not enrolled in our full 12 or 16-week programs,” Darryl explains. “They can participate in 2-hour sessions and still take away valuable tools.”

Melissa Sanon joined CSR seven years ago.  Starting as an in-home therapist working with children ages 3 to 21, she transitioned to outpatient therapy and later joined the BRL program blending her background and passion in music and mental health.  

“I used to write and engineer music for clients and local artists in Boston,” Melissa explains. “BRL is just a perfect example of how hip-hop can bring positivity to the community.”

Melissa quickly saw the program’s positive impact after undergoing training. “The idea was using hip-hop as a catalyst for change and development among youth in at-risk communities, almost as a substitute for traditional therapy,” says Sanon. Many youths resist talk therapy, but hip-hop provides a different outlet for self-expression. “We show them that hip-hop is not synonymous with gang culture; it's a way for them to tell their stories, cope with trauma, and navigate their triggers. Hip hop is a way for them to take their emotions and flush them out in a way that makes them feel good about themselves.”

Since joining BRL, Melissa has run numerous groups, working helping young people turn their fears into strengths and build the confidence to get on stage and perform what they've written. Sanon recounts stories of participants who initially resisted the program but later found it transformative. “One youth from Succeed Boston, a program for suspended or expelled students, thought BRL was corny. But after participating, he told his teacher it was the best thing he’d ever done.”

For Melissa, working at CSR is deeply rewarding. “I feel very lucky. As someone who’s always been a mental health advocate, I get to combine my profession with music to facilitate change. I don’t know any other place where I could do both.”

BRL partners with existing youth programs, schools, and after-school programs to recruit participants. Youth must have an interest in both hip-hop and therapy, as the program involves in-depth therapeutic conversations and commitment to writing and making music. 

Partnering sites are categorized by behavioral challenges, and participants receive an orientation on the program's focus on trauma and vulnerability. Darryl emphasizes the importance of transparency: “We use the first session for orientation so that the youth know what they’re about to be a part of. We don’t want to mislead them into thinking it’s just a fun hip-hop program. From the beginning, we make it clear that we’ll be discussing their past, trauma, and future, which requires a level of vulnerability,” said Huggins.   

Typically, BRL visits each site twice a week for two-hour sessions: one for discussion and one for processing, where participants translate those conversations into songs with the help of a clinician and a teaching artist. “We bring in recording equipment, and the youth record their songs based on the previous day’s activity,” explained Huggins.  

Preston Fleming, Prevention Program Manager at William J. Ostiguy High School, describes the valuable partnership with BRL. Ostiguy High School provides a supportive environment for students recovering from substance abuse, and BRL's program offered these students a transformative experience to articulate their feelings and grow personally through music. “BRL was the best experience for our students during this time in their lives because it helped them break out of their shell and express who they really were through writing, and then further understanding how writing can help them articulate what’s on their mind,” said Fleming.

BRL is also committed to nurturing the next generation of mental health professionals. The BRL Academy provides young adults of color over 18 who graduated from high school with educational and career pathways in the mental health field while offering ongoing therapeutic support. By leveraging their lived experiences, the program prepares them for roles as helpers and healers in their communities.

The BRL Academy offers a paid, two-year program where participants work 20 hours a week, receive training, and engage in career exploration with BRL staff. “Even if they choose not to work for BRL afterward, we hope to equip them with the skills, confidence, and resources to find their own path [in the mental health field],” said Huggins.

Shannelle Dunn, a 25-year-old from London, is a BRL Academy member who brings a background in criminal justice to her role. After graduating from college, where she focused on helping at-risk youth and providing safe spaces to prevent their involvement in crime, Shannelle joined CSR as a youth mentor. However, she felt a deeper connection to the BRL program because it allowed her to reconnect with her passion for rap while contributing meaningfully to the community.

“I used to rap when I was 12 in London, but I set it aside to focus on college. Now, I’m thrilled to merge my passion for rap with my career,” says Dunn. “Joining BRL felt like a perfect fit. It’s special to me because it feels natural, almost like a family gathering. It doesn’t feel like work when I’m here.”

Similarly, Malik Carr, known as “2 Leeky”, from Dorchester, found his place a year ago in BRL after searching for more meaningful work. “I am 23 years old, and I'm at that point where your life starts changing. It’s up to you to figure out what you want to change and what you need to build. It makes me think about who I really am and what I really want for myself,” said Carr. 

At 23, Malik works three jobs, with BRL Academy being one of them. “I thought I was going to be a therapeutic mentor. When I found out that I was going to be on the music side it was a kind of music therapy for me as well, at least for the first two years,” said Carr.

“BRL has given me a platform to take my music seriously. It taught me how to talk about things like my family in a different sense, and how to put those words in a musical way without just rambling,” said Carr. BRL has provided Malik with a creative outlet and inspired him to explore business and entrepreneurial opportunities. “Being here has helped me think more deeply about my music and my future,” said Carr.

In a world where traditional methods often fall short, CSR’s integration of hip-hop with therapy offers a progressive approach that connects with youth in meaningful ways.

Darryl envisions expanding BRL through increased community engagement and broader school involvement. “Our expansion depends on funding, which allows us to hire more staff and meet kids where they’re at. We don’t bill insurance for our services, so funding gives us the freedom to provide effective, culturally relevant support without constraints,” explained Huggins.  He hopes to see BRL in high schools citywide, with students earning course credit for participating.