The poetry of hip hop: A mixed tapeIn 1957, it took nine literary critics in a highly publicized and controversial court case to determine whether or not Allen Ginsberg's Howl had literary merit. At the time, the poetic musings of this controversial Beat poet were viewed by some as salacious, vulgar and — in effect — not poetry at all. When the Beat generation emerged, literary traditionalists resented this new genre that rebelled against the conventions of classic poetry. The definition of what qualifies as "poetic" has broadened considerably since Ginbserg's time, though once again we are caught up in a new cycle of counterculture, resistance and reform. This time, with another kind of beat generation. From Tupac Shakur's celebrated book of poetry, The Rose that Grew from Concrete to the work of Canada's own aboriginal hip hop maven Kinnie Starr, rappers and hip hop artists have claimed a place in the poetic arena. And in fact, they have so for decades. Rap artists — the good ones — follow the fundamental rules of poetry writing. Clarity, meaning, form and regular metre: each of these elements are present in a good rap song. What does a good rap song sound like? Sample Mos Def and Talib Kweli in the video below. (Here are the lyrics.) Rappers, hip hop artists, spoken word poets and "formalist" poets all rely on the traditional tools of the poetic trade: rhyme and rhythm; alliteration and assonance; metaphor and figurative turns of phrase. The musicality of the wording is foremost. In essence, the technical differences between rap and traditional poetry are few. The differences are really in the nature of the content. These beat poets use slang, unconventional structures and explicit themes in much of their work. In slam poetry, for instance — a form popular in hip hop culture — a poem has to be condensed and delivered orally in under three minutes. I recently spoke with Canadian hip hop artist and spoken word poet Wendy Brathwaite, a.k.a. Motion. She's published two collections of poetry, Motion in Poetry, (2002) and 40Dayz (2009). But she was already a force on the hip hop scene when her first book came out. So I asked the obvious question: Why did she decide to write a book of poetry, as opposed to writing more music? "When I put out my first book, Motion in Poetry, I wanted to be able to let my rhymes speak on paper," Wendy explained. "I guess that was my way of expressing what I do, but also opening up a space to say that all of these things are related. I guess it's up to people who read it to understand, how they are different and how they connect." Rap music is available to everyone, but it's not accessible to everyone. Many simply don't like the genre of music. Others are unable to relate to the themes explored. The secret, book clubbers, is to keep listening. Finding quality rap artists, and understanding what sets them apart, is a skill in itself. With that in mind, I'd like to leave you with a a mini-compilation. Check it out, and let me know what you think! Tupac Shakur on poetry "Common" performs at Def Jam Poetry in New York Lauryn Hill performs at Def Jam Poetry in New York |
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