Rap Vs Poetry Essay example -- essays research papers

"When I first started whackping, me and a couple brothers would any drive around my place freestyling while close toone b fertilize boxed. I however used to tell all the girls that I was a poet. They seemed to find it a little more touching than a rapper" (Prince Paul, The Source 16) The lyrics of rappers be very alike(p) to the voice communication of Black poets. It is argued as to wether or not rap is a feasible form of poetry. Both discuss similar subjects, economise in the same expressive style and use the same vitrine of language in their writings. When looking at a poem or reading rap lyrics, distinguishing between the two can be difficult, if not impossible.Both Black rappers and Black poets put out around the same subjects. For example the rap group NWA, and the poet Alice Walker, both cover the topic of being from a nonage race. Alice Walker states in one of her poems that "there is no planet unknown than the one im from" (Walker, "Note Pa ssed To Superman" 18-19). What Alice is saying is that the world is strange because the great unwashed judge others by their skin color. The approach NWA takes is a more presumptuous one. In the song "Fuck Tha legal philosophy", NWA says " Young nigga got it tough cuz im brown / And not the other color so police hypothesise / They have the authority to k naughtily a minority" (NWA "Fuck Tha Police" 3-5). Another common subect between Black poets and rappers is "ghetto life". Nikki Giovanis poem called "For Saundra" is about how she is going to write a poem about trees and blue skies. thusly she realized that she was living in a "concrete jungle".      i wanted to write / a poem / that rhymes / alone revolution doesnt add together / itself to bebopping / then my neighbor / who thinks i hate / asked -do u ever write / tree poems- i like trees / so i thought / ill write a beautiful geen tree poem / peeked from my window / to check the get wind / noticed the school yard was covered / with asphalt / no chiliad - no trees grow / in Manhattan / then, well, i thought the sky / ill do a big blue sky poem / but all the clouds have winged / low since no-Dick was elected / so i thought again / and it occurred to me / maybe i shouldnt write / at all / but clean my gun / and check my kerosene supply (Giovanni "For Saundra")What all this is about is simply the reality of the urban ghettos. Gangstarr als... .... To all my brothers in the streets / I know u feel you have to hustle cause your peeps gotta eat / Makin moves right and exact dont wanna see you layin flat / Dont wanna see ya catch a bullet black / If we dont build well be destroyed / Thats a challenge we face in the race of poor and unemployed (Gangstarr "In w atomic number 18housing Of")This song by Gangstarr is about life on the streets and what one must do to survive on the streets. The messages found in theses rap songs and poems are important messages that must be find outed to. They speak about what is happening in society and what we have to do to change it or in some cases stop it.     In conclusion, the lyrics of rappers are very comparable to the spoken words of Black poets. There can be comparisons made in the style of writing, the subjects, language and the messages behind the writings. All of these similarities make rap a viable form of poetry that is enjoyed and understood by young people in todays society. Todays teenagers, in many cases, would, not read poetry and comprehend the message, but, they would listen to rap and be able to understand the idea the artist is act to get across.