Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words -Robert Frost. Rap is when emotion is expressed lyrically and musically, which conjures imagery. Robert Frost’s definition of poetry is not dissimilar to the essential idea of what makes up rap. Canonical poetry and rap both invoke emotion through their meaning and purpose and share poetic devices and language features. However, rap is considered as unequal to the timelessness, techniques and significance of canonical poetry. But today I will convince you that rap music should be considered classical and take a part in the evolving structure of the Western Literary Canon. Rap music such as ‘Dear Mama’ by Tupac has influenced people over time as its cultural significance …show more content…
is felt by many. Poetic techniques add to the fact that is should be considered part of the Western Literary Canon. ‘Dear Mama’ was released on February 21, 1995 as the lead single from the album ‘Me against the World’. This rap was a tribute to his mother and expressed universal themes of struggles, love and compassion. In 2012, this song was added to the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress. I t was judged as a work that is “culturally, historically or aesthetically important, and informs or reflects life in the United States”. This judgement shows that rap is able to endure and remain inspirational to those who read it. The relevance rap music has to the time and society it was written and produced for, faces similar hardships in their daily life. For example, “ … even though I sell rocks, It feels good putting money in your mailbox”. Describes suffering faced by the Afro- American community to provide their family with food, a problem faced by poor communities to this day. The timeless theme of love is also very much visible in this text. For instance, “ And all my childhood memories, are full of sweet things you did for me”. This line connotes how important his Mother was to him during his time in jail and throughout his life. These universal themes of love and compassion through hardship endures through time, thus proving that ‘Dear Mama’ remains an inspirational text and should be included in the Western Literary Canon of Rap. The essence of poetry is the language techniques utilised by the author to create a deeper and beautiful meaning.
Tupac makes effective use of poetic techniques such as connotation, alliteration, rhyme, consonance, metaphor, repetition and hyperbole to enhance the theme of affection towards his mother. The rhyme scheme of ‘Dear Mama’ is AA, BB, typical to rap songs as rhyme is an essential part of rap. Connotation is evident in Tupac’s lyrics which he uses to describe his relationship with his mother. For example, he uses ‘mama’ to connote closeness between him and his mother. The line, “He passed away and I didn’t cry, ‘cause my anger wouldn’t let me feel for a stranger”, uses stranger as a hyperbole to exaggerate the non-existent relationship with his father. Consonance and alliteration are utilised to create half-rhyme meaning through certain phrases. This is commonly used in canonical poetry. E.g. “Rise up—for you the flag is flung”. This technique is also used in ‘Dear Mama’. For example, “…big boys, breaking all the rules”. This verse’s alliteration portrays the pressure to reach their 'thug' standards at school. The use of metaphors in this text Is minimal however, it is significant to the rap. For instance, “And even as a crack fiend mama, You always was a black queen mama”. This phrase, especially the metaphor, expresses his disappointment in his mother’s crack addiction but at the same time also his admiration with the word ‘queen’, connoting her place in his heart above all others. One verse that is constantly repeated at the end of each stanza for emphasis. E.g. “There’s no way to pay you back, But my plan is to show you that I understand, You area appreciated”. This verse is an emphasis on how thankful Tupac is for everything his mother has done for him. His extensive and effective use of poetic features throughout ‘Dear Mama', verify that it should be considered a modern day
classic. The release of ‘Dear Mama’ was a very significant in Tupac’s career, as well as the cultural significance it held for the Afro-American community. Through this song, as well many others, Tupac expresses the struggles faced by the black society during around the time of this song's release. It also played supported the Black Power Civil Rights Movement to improve the conditions in black society. Shown in verses such as “Huggin’ on my mama from a jail cell…and runnin’ from the police”. These lines portray situations that were commonplace for teenagers who grew up in the ghetto. E.g. “Over the years we was poorer than the other little kids”, signifies that his sister and he did not have a stable family life. But also goes on to say “You always was committed, a poor single mother on the welfare tell me how ya did it”. Showing that he does not blame his mother for his childhood situation and appreciates how she did so much with so little. The cultural importance of Tupac’s lyrics was great as his lyrics reinstated what the fight for Black civil rights was on. The significance of this song led to his recognition for ‘Dear Mama' and his socio-political views, thus proving that Rap should take an important part in the Western Literary Canon. To conclude, Tupac’s effective and polished use of poetic techniques, his relevant theme to socio-political conditions and its quality of endurance over time, connecting with generations. Tupac’s lyrics voiced problems that he had faced as a child, and other issues that were evident in black society. His refined use of poetic features such as alliteration, hyperboles and metaphors demonstrates his skills, essential in the Western Literary Canon. Although this rap represents hip hop culture, it supports the criteria of the Western Literary Canon. Timelessness, significance to society and it distinguished use of language features are all evident in ‘Dear Mama’ proving that it does belong in the Western Literary Canon.
Conformity can be very crucial, infact a lot of people eventually start hurting themselves or doing drugs just because they don't feel themselves anymore.Why can't society change? why can't that one kid that always follows everyone in the back can turn into the kid that just hangs with the people they really wanna hang with?We need to embrace ourselves so we can stop all this conformity from consuming us.Tupac was a nonconformist, he always did what made him happy and always told the truth.
In the short story “Tupac and My Non-Thug Life” by Jenee Desmond-Harris she talks about the death of Tupac Shakur and the impact it had on her and her friend Thea. I think its interesting that although Harris and Tupac are polar opposites she uses the connection of their race and applys it to this “coming of age” journey. Harris expresses that Tupacs music made her feel apart of something and that she valued the racial equality being voiced through his music. I can relate to this on multiple levels. For example when I’m feeling down and listen to sad music that i can relate to. Listening to music and lyrics that you can relate to brings you a sense of belonging like you arent the only one that has ever felt this way.
Calvin Forbes doesn’t use rhyme in “Momma Said”, instead he uses shorter lines that all relate to each other, giving it the same flowy sense as rhythm would give, just in a different arrangement. Rhythm helps to move the poem along and keep the reader alert, which is exactly what Forbes is doing. Most poets use rhythm by having certain lines rhyme after each other which gives the poem a wispy sensation, causing the reader to stay intrigued. Lines 13 and 14 state, “Like a dream that makes you want to go back to sleep.” This uses imagery to help you imagine a good dream.
In Adam Bradley’s “Rap poetry 101” he shows us how rap is more than just songs being sung, it is poetry; it is something that has an empowering ability to make the familiar unfamiliar.In this chapter Bradley creates a new viewpoint too rap. Bradley shows us how rap and poetry has become a very similar piece of art that should be further appreciated. In the chapter poetry 101 Bradley describes how rap is a form of public art, and how rappers have become our greatest public poets. The importance of rap as poetry is shown throughout Bradley's book as well as the evidence behind the reasons rap is poetry.
¨Father forgive us for living (Shakur, 1). Tupac speaks from the african american point of view, as in a world where african americans are discriminated, simply living is a crime In ¨Untitled 1,¨ by Tupac Shakur, the theme is how African Americans have been discriminated by other races and even self-discriminated and how that needs to be changed. Tupac examines the struggles of African Americans, and talks about how they have been discriminated for a very long time and how it has caused sorrow. That being said, he remains hopeful towards the future, and wants to inspire children to spark change.
Tupac Shakur among very few artists has lyrically display admiration for his mother. Artists such as Boyz II Men, Gyptian, and Richie Spice have also affectionately dedicated lyrical tribute to their mothers. In contrast, songwriter Shirley Caesar wrote a song which begins with a brief dialogue, regarding a young man charging his mother for a few chores in which he completed. ...
Tupac Shakur was one of the most influential music artist of the 20th Century. “Murda, Murda, Murda, and Kill, Kill, Kill…” these are they lyrics to one of the songs written by Tupac Shakur. Amidst all the controversy surrounding his personal life, this artist has managed to overcome all obstacles and spread his hope/hate message to a surprisingly receptive audience. Tupac’s music is borrowed from the styles of early rap and hip-hop yet its appeal rested in Tupac himself. His persona of “Thug Poet” opened up a portal into the new genre of “Gangsta Rap.” This new style of music revolutionized the music industry and allowed several new artists to break through in Tupac’s creation, Gangsta Rap, such as; G-unit, Eminem, and many others.
Tupac Shakur (2pac) was known as one of those rappers that has made a difference in the black community during the 90’s. All his music talked about the reality of black lives and the struggle of being black not only for black men but also for black women. His songs gave hope to African Americans, and to help them see that black was/is beautiful. Even though Tupac has many hit songs and albums, Keep Ya Head Up has been one of the best songs that Tupac has ever recorded! “The blacker the berry the sweeter the juice the darker the flesh the deeper the roots”.
Who really killed Tupac Shakur is one of the most intriguing questions of our generation. The conspiracy theories are endless as well as outlandishly speculative. Many factors contribute to answering this seemingly unanswerable question. Rivalries, money, and fame all play key factors in determining what happened to one of the most famous rappers of all time. Rivalry and tension among his many enemies were the driving causes of Shakur’s death. Even those whom he once called friends may have turned on him as a result of jealousy or revenge. Of all the theories regarding Tupac Shakur’s unsolved murder, the theory most likely to be true is that he was killed by the Crips.
Tupac Amaru Shakur was an African-American rapper, poet, and record producer during the 1990’s. In his adolescent years, he attended the Baltimore School for the Arts where he took acting and dance classes, like ballet. He was taught radical politics by his mother, which helped him develop ideas about topics he would later use in his many works. At an early age, Tupac had seen the injustices of the real world. His mother was a former Black Panther activist who turned to substance abuse during Tupac’s childhood. Aside from that, he and his mother also moved many times while they lived together in New York City. While Tupac was in Baltimore, he discovered rap; not long after, he and his mother moved to the West Coast where he joined the rap group
Rap is about giving voice to a black community otherwise underrepresented, if not silent, in the mass media. It has always been and remains … directly connected to the streets from which it came. (144)
With poetry coming in many different styles today, writing comes easy for some. One way that poetry is written today is in the form of rap. The artist known as "J Cole" is one of the best rappers of the 21st century. J Cole went double platinum with top hits such as "Wet Dreamz" and "Love Yourz". In both of these songs Cole connects the listener's with relatable stories and scenarios. Both of these songs are forms of poetry somehow.
The most popular new music to emerge from the ‘80’s was rap music. It first developed in the mid ‘70’s in New York City, and soon in other urban areas, primarily amongst African-American teen-agers. It became very popular with the urban public that it soon began to spread throughout the United States and much of the world. It replaced rock music as the creative force in music of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. However, as popular as it was then and it is now, the lyrics of many rap songs have caused controversy. Many believe and have charged that these lyrics promote racism and violence and show contempt for women.
Hip Hop/Rap music is a new kind of music that appeared during the 1980s . It portrays life on the streets.There are some connections between rap music and jazz music, they come from the Last Poets, which is a group of ex-convicts, one of them released an album backed by the funk Kool and the Gang, this made it become very influential in the early New York rappers.Rap also combines the elements of African American musical traditions such as blues, jazz and soul with dance-hall reggae, dub and Caribbean calypso. It made rap into the most influential and complex form of
It is so hard to become a rapper. But it is harder to become a Great Rapper. I believe Tupac is a great rapper. Not only a great rapper, but the greatest rapper. Like Snoop Dogg had said, “Tupac was many different things at once. Hardheaded and intellectual, courageous and afraid, revolutionary and….oh yeah, don’t get it f***ed up, gangsta.” To be a great rapper, you must have impact, commercial success, be good at song writing, a lot of performances and live shows and lastly, hella good rapping. The first song I heard from tupac was “ambitions az a ridah and all eyes on me” and it was real original so I went and listened to ‘Brenda got a baby’ which made me think “dammmmm he good, he good as hell”