Is Rap Poetry?

[Rosalee_Allen]

I think it depends on the song, there are some rap songs that have real meaning and tackle real issues, these I would consider poetry. While the other songs that consist of only five or six words, usually about drugs, sex, money, or cars I would consider a waste of time to listen to as well as a waste of space and money to buy.

[Jamie fred84]

Absolutely! Some of its really bad.... But poetry just the same. All songs no matter the genre can be poems and visa versa.

[freakishly_smalls]

It could be considered poetry.. Or at least that is my opinion of it

[tiffanynettles]

I believe that it depends on the rapper. Most old school rappers like Tupac actually wrote lyrics that held meaning to them and was about their lives. Therefor, I would consider their music poetry. However, a lot of the new age rapper choose to make songs that mean nothing to them, instead it all about this fantasy life that they want to portray. I don't consider it an art form in any way. The only rapper that I feel is poety in our time is Macklemore.

[tilde333]

It is most definitely poetry. And like all other poetry, there is quality and crap!

A forthright, no-nonsense opinion from Oz! I love it
Rap must be considered as poetry - just doesnt press any buttons for me, probably down to my perception of the music.
I expect if I looked beyond the bling and guns and cars and sex and violence ....there would be something worthwhile.
But why? I already have books I'll never read and music I'll never hear and places I will never visit. Time is finite (Sorry Albert).

I think that "the bling and guns and cars and sex and violence" is part of the poetry. Some people have those struggles in their life and writing about it is a way to process all of the feelings. Rap can definitely be a genre of poetry if it comes from an emotive place rather than just a way to sell a lifestyle and get up in the club.

[akuvaja]

Rap is definitely a form of poetry. I teach Creative Writing and Poetry at the high school level and when working with the students this becomes evident. It is bold to say that Rap is the poetry of this generation when there are so many talented poets out there right now, but it is so true for many. I have students bring in examples of poems that they love, appreciate, speak to them, etc. and some rap songs always make it in there. Poetry is about using language to express yourself on a deeper level and look at the world through a different lens, and many rappers do this. They experiment with the sound and flow of words and change the order of them until the right emphasis and right meaning shines through. Poetry can be controversial and so is rap. Let free expression be just that. If it leads people to experience the power of words and sounds then the world is better for it.

[parish428]

As someone that produces rap music for a hobby. I believe rap is a form of poetry. I wrote poetry as a kid and heading into my teen years those poems turned into rap lyrics. That's usually how it goes.

[Shakina]

Yes rap is poetry......

[johappy]

I definitely think rap is poetry. I may not care much to listen to rap, but the lyrics do amaze me! They have the same structure, such as rhythm and rhyme, as well as literary devices like alliteration and internal rhyme. So yeah, totally poetry.

[Z0_happy]

It depends on the rap. If it is completely random, than no. The words often are poetry type things but sometimes rapping them ruins it. In my opinion.

[mady_merrell]

Yes, I truly think rap is poetry. There are many rappers out there that are talking about real world problems and serious topics. Rap gets a lot of disrespect by older people because a lot of people think that its mainly about drugs, guns, violence, and sex there is music out there like that but there is serious rap out there about serious problems in peoples lives.

[meganxxcooper]

Technically, all music is poetry. Rap is more like poetry, as it's more of a speaking, rhyming poetry.

[LiteraryMagic]

Well, rap is kind of slam/performance poetry's cousin. I'm pretty sure also that songs are considered poetry, just with music behind the words. I think that rap is a very modern, urban type of poetry that may not be quite the classical Silverstein or Poe poetry, but still remains a poem. After all, any words written are either prose or poetry, and rap cannot easily be placed in prose, but can be more easily seen in the poetry category of writing.

[RJohnReves]

No. Rhyming door with whore is not poetry

Is rap even truly music?

[Levi]

It is when you do it like this, yo! Ha ha

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