Since its conception, rap has been a form of poetry looked down upon by formal poets, questioned by other musicians, and rejected by mainstream culture. But, whether or not one appreciates the art form, one cannot deny the poetic elements of rap. With poetry and rap both being technical, yet subjective forms, one must examine their likeness both from a concise denotation of what qualifies as each and from a subjective, cultural context as well. Poetry, as defined by the dictionary, is made up of four basic components: rhythm, sound, emotional response, and meaning—rap music fits this definition in every capacity. The dictionary defines rap as “rhythmic chanting, often in unison, of usually rhymed couplets to musical accompaniment.” In a breakdown
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Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley defines poetry as “…a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted.” Rap was originated as (and still serves as) a voice for the African-American community, which at the time was broken by the crack and AIDS epidemic. Early rappers took that bleak situation and created a conjunction between poetry and music to express their and their people’s emotions, to uplift their community with fun(ky) beats, but also to serves as a liaison between their community and those outside of it, who, otherwise, would go oblivious to it without the hip hop …show more content…
Like the first recorded rap song “Rapper’s Paradise” by the Sugar Hill Gang, many would not consider poetry because of its use of nonsensical words such as, “hip hop, hibbie, hibbie” or “bang bang boogie.” But Lewis Caroll’s near indecipherable “Jabberwocky” holds its place in many poetry anthologies. Or some disqualify rap as poetry because of its (sometimes) vulgar and superficial content. For example, rappers like Radric Davis (also known as Gucci Mane) or Dwayne Carter (also known as Lil Wayne) write about drugs and seemingly meaningless things. But they are merely writing about the way they grew up and what they’ve seen—once again filling the aforementioned liaison role. But Edgar Allen Poe is never discredited for his dark content the way rappers have
Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley defines poetry as “…a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted.” Rap was originated as (and still serves as) a voice for the African-American community, which at the time was broken by the crack and AIDS epidemic. Early rappers took that bleak situation and created a conjunction between poetry and music to express their and their people’s emotions, to uplift their community with fun(ky) beats, but also to serves as a liaison between their community and those outside of it, who, otherwise, would go oblivious to it without the hip hop …show more content…
Like the first recorded rap song “Rapper’s Paradise” by the Sugar Hill Gang, many would not consider poetry because of its use of nonsensical words such as, “hip hop, hibbie, hibbie” or “bang bang boogie.” But Lewis Caroll’s near indecipherable “Jabberwocky” holds its place in many poetry anthologies. Or some disqualify rap as poetry because of its (sometimes) vulgar and superficial content. For example, rappers like Radric Davis (also known as Gucci Mane) or Dwayne Carter (also known as Lil Wayne) write about drugs and seemingly meaningless things. But they are merely writing about the way they grew up and what they’ve seen—once again filling the aforementioned liaison role. But Edgar Allen Poe is never discredited for his dark content the way rappers have