WATTS : Reading, ‘Riting ‘Rithmetic and Rap

Rap artists and nursery rhymes may seem an unlikely combination, but not to students at Grape Street Elementary School.

Stacey Q., Ms. Vee, The Rhythm, and The Sultans of Swing were among the rappers who visited the school recently to promote the recording “Rap Rhymes! Mother Goose on the Loose.”

“For a lot of kids, Little Red Riding Hood is something they can’t relate to,” said Alvis Andrews, the school’s principal. “But once it is done in a rap session, why then the kids can relate to it. We know kids like storytelling.”

The performance drew favorable reviews from the young crowd, including 7-year-old Maurice Singleton, the winner of a rap contest at the school. “It was good,” Singeton said. “I like the way they sing.”

The recording features rappers such as Kid Frost singing “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe,” and The Rhythm performing “Little Bo Peep.”

Among the modified lyrics in the Rhythm’s version: Little Bo Peep, has lost her sheep (She’s lost her sheep, and we’re gonna find ‘em-- know what I’m saying?’).

For some of the rappers who attended the event this month, it was a chance to return to their old neighborhood.

“We need to come back to the community and give something, if it’s not money, then to perform,” a member of The Rhythm said.

The visit was part of L.A.’s Better Educated Students for Tomorrow (BEST) program, which provides after-school educational and cultural activities.

Epic Records, which put the project together, will donate an unspecified portion of the sales to charities.

“Too much of the time there is a concentration on the negative in our industry and on the music kids listen to,” said Alan Mintz, vice president of Epic Records.

L.A.’s BEST program operates year-round in 19 schools from Sylmar to South-Central. The program was established in 1988 by Mayor Tom Bradley and is funded by the city Community Redevelopment Agency and private and public foundations.

“We have lots of people from private industry that . . . come in and try and help boost the self-esteem of the kids,” said Francine Harcum, an administrative assistant at L.A.’s BEST.