Yes. Hip-hop is Poetry
Poetry is self-expression. It is an art form where the artist releases his/her emotion onto paper. At times, there is a fixed form, (e.g. sonnet, concrete) however, at other times the organization is simply words on a page. Poetry can be comedic, romantic, narrative, dramatic, selfish, or just an arrangement of words on paper to satisfy an artistic vision and supply visual pleasure.
Hip-hop is self-expression. It is an art form where the artist releases his/her emotion through verse on paper and performance. A rapper is a poet, spilling his life story onto tracks through verse and spoken word. Not every artist will explain his own life experiences, but that does not mean it is not poetry. Just like poetry, hip hop can be comedic, romantic, selfish, or just a collection of sounds (beats) that are pleasing to the human ear.
Referring to the roots of Hip-hop, a lot of rap expresses the struggle of African Americans in urban America. The lyrics in many songs directly reference the life experiences of African American youths whether it be gang-banging, growing up poor, selling drugs, sex, murder, prison, racism, or any other form of adversity that they either overcame or crumbled under.
At the same time, there is a certain style that the rapper must adhere to when divulging his life experiences. The rapper cannot simply write down his words and be complete because he will receive no respect in the "Rap Game." A rapper, just like a poet, must be witty, creative, tricky, and unorthodox in his lyrical word choice and lyrical order. Therefore, a skillful rapper possesses a variety of lyrical techniques in his arsenal such as, assonance, alliteration, consonance, slant rhymes, near rhymes, metaphors, and similies, all of which can be found in poetry. And, the more the rapper can disguise his rhymes, incorporate stylistic techniques, and progress the verse without it sounding forced, the more respect he will receive from critics and peers.
But, written lyrics are only half of the rapper's struggle. In the world of Hip-hop, performance is an integral component of success. Through performance, a rapper is able to stress certain words, change the sound of certain words, create his own voice and style, and display his inner passion, anguish, or anger.
Hip-hop is self-expression. It is an art form where the artist releases his/her emotion through verse on paper and performance. A rapper is a poet, spilling his life story onto tracks through verse and spoken word. Not every artist will explain his own life experiences, but that does not mean it is not poetry. Just like poetry, hip hop can be comedic, romantic, selfish, or just a collection of sounds (beats) that are pleasing to the human ear.
Referring to the roots of Hip-hop, a lot of rap expresses the struggle of African Americans in urban America. The lyrics in many songs directly reference the life experiences of African American youths whether it be gang-banging, growing up poor, selling drugs, sex, murder, prison, racism, or any other form of adversity that they either overcame or crumbled under.
At the same time, there is a certain style that the rapper must adhere to when divulging his life experiences. The rapper cannot simply write down his words and be complete because he will receive no respect in the "Rap Game." A rapper, just like a poet, must be witty, creative, tricky, and unorthodox in his lyrical word choice and lyrical order. Therefore, a skillful rapper possesses a variety of lyrical techniques in his arsenal such as, assonance, alliteration, consonance, slant rhymes, near rhymes, metaphors, and similies, all of which can be found in poetry. And, the more the rapper can disguise his rhymes, incorporate stylistic techniques, and progress the verse without it sounding forced, the more respect he will receive from critics and peers.
But, written lyrics are only half of the rapper's struggle. In the world of Hip-hop, performance is an integral component of success. Through performance, a rapper is able to stress certain words, change the sound of certain words, create his own voice and style, and display his inner passion, anguish, or anger.
posted by Ben Bloom at 2:30 AM
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