Thomas Demerath

Thomas Demerath, aka Planet MC, has been an educator for 17 years. This is his 7th year in Oakland Unified School District as a middle school teacher. He has been on the EDP board since the winter of 2023. This past Earth Day, he released the first-ever Environmental Hip-Hop album, "Green Rap," which features student interviews, artwork, lyrics, and beats. Planet MC also founded "School of Rap," which is a club in Oakland where students write, record, and perform music. "School of Rap" has performed at Montera Middle School and Chabot Space and Science Center. This school year, the club will be collaborating with other schools like Urban Promise Academy in Oakland. The next performances will be at Chabot Space and Science Center on 10/29/23 for a "Zero Waste Party," which features local artists, vendors, chefs, and other organizations like "Stop Waste."  

Thomas is also a member of OTACA (Oakland Teachers Advancing Climate Action) and CAPECA (Community-Academic Partnerships to Advance Equity-Focused Climate Action). He is also working on a project with UC Berkeley graduate students and Montera Middle School students creating maps that will be featured at The Lawrence Hall of Sciences. Thomas also coaches football at Montera and Oakland High School.  

New singles from the upcoming 2024 album with producer Kieko and Planet MC will be dropping soon. His projects can be followed here: @schoolofrap510 and @planetecorap