Before most children can sound their ABC's they can form their hand into the shape of a gun and sound “BANG,” mimicing the shots they hear on television and in their neighborhoods. It is a suttle gesture, but its consequences loom large. Two fingers and a thumb baptize American youth into the cult of the gun.

We give them toys, introducing them to the power that often eludes children and that society teaches comes at the barrel of a gun. The music plays, soaking our psyches in gun’s power through song. It’s a power Nas describes when he raps: “It’s that shit that moves crowd making every ghetto foul/I might’ve took your first child, scarred your life crippled your style./I gave you power/I made you buckwild.”

More than any genre, hip-hop’s glamorization of guns has played scapegoat, blamed for everything from school shooting to cop killings. Bang* is the first selection from TROUBL’s sound series. In this offering we chose 14 classic tracks all dedicated to the gun. Hip-hop dominates the mix in the same way the genre dominates the headlines. More than a mixtape, Bang* is a sonic study guide, a lesson plan to be used where it’s needed most—in our kid’s classrooms. Each song is a tool. Use them to explore the realtionships students have with guns. Use them to challenge students beliefs. Use them to learn the language and culture students live by and bring into the classroom.

Click here to download Bang*

Click here for Shots to the Dome lesson plan.