Detroit · Fall 2025 launch
St. Brown Foundation x
Rhymes with Reason
NFL stars and brothers Amon-Ra, Equanimeous and Osiris St. Brown fund music-powered literacy programming for Detroit students.
Explore the partnership
Launch snapshot
Students at launch
Launch school ·
Durfee Elementary-Middle School
Michigan
Pilot launch
The Assignment
Who
The St. Brown Foundation, founded by NFL stars and brothers Amon-Ra, Equanimeous, and Osiris St. Brown, partnered with Rhymes With Reason to reach Detroit middle schoolers.
The plan
The partnership launched at Durfee Elementary-Middle School in September. 100 students received music-powered vocabulary lessons and an interactive workshop led by founder Austin Martin.
The goal
Spark excitement for vocabulary and literacy, then grow from the first pilot group to reach 500 Detroit students.
Detroit is home to some of the most talented and resilient young people in the country — but nearly 60% of Detroit students are reading below grade level by middle school.
In Fall 2025, the St. Brown Foundation teamed up with Rhymes With Reason to spark excitement for vocabulary and literacy among Detroit students at the critical learning inflection point of “back to school”.
Rhymes With Reason’s digital platform teaches vocabulary through the lyrics of popular songs students already love. Students kicked off the experience with an interactive workshop led by founder Austin Martin, exploring new words through music while building their confidence as learners.
Starting with this first pilot group, the Foundation and Rhymes With Reason aimed to grow the program to reach 500 Detroit students — building a future where learning feels fun, familiar, and full of possibility.
Impact in Progress
2026 program update · Durfee and Beecher
Students reached in 2026
School systems
Words learned
Average quiz score
Partnership in Action
A closer look at learning in Detroit.
About Rhymes with Reason
Now available in Detroit, Michigan
Rhymes with Reason is an educational technology program utilized in over 300 schools across the country. We make a difference alongside high profile organizations including Chance the Rapper’s SocialWorks, The Los Angeles Chargers Impact Fund, the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kaiser Permanente, The City of Detroit’s Grow Detroit Young Talent and San Diego’s Founders First Capital Partners CDC.
The program’s music-powered approach to closing the vocabulary and reading gap serves as a refreshing learning experience for youth in grades 2 through 12.
Bring this to your community
Partner with Rhymes with Reason to bring music-powered vocabulary learning to more students.