YouTube isn’t just for music videos anymore. 2-Cent, a hip-hop-oriented grassroots entertainment company, is using it to fight illiteracy in African-American youths. According to the organization’s founder, Brandan “Bmike” Odums, “2-Cent was created in response to the problems in our community.”

Odums says he grew tired of waiting for other people to address those issues and quoted Mahatma Gandhi as he decided to “become the change they wanted to see.” He saw problems with the media and Ho...