Rap and Poetry: Are they the same?

Rap and poetry: Many people speculate if these two art forms are the same. Famous celebrities like the rapper Jay-Z has said that two are the exact same. He feels like what he puts into his rhymes, are the equivalent of poetry. Late Maya Angelou has inspired all types of rappers. So, I decided to dig up the facts.

Poetry is literary work based on the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm. There multiple versions of poetry such as a sonnet, a limerick, haiku, couplet, and more. Poetry can be dramatic, lyrical, or a narrative. Behind every poem, is a deeper meaning. Most are open to interpretation or have multiple meanings below the surface. Poetry goes all the way back to B.C. and is sacred to poets and an important part of literature.

Now, rap is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates “rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular”. Rap didn’t start emerging until the 1970s. There are many different types of rap such as alternative, bounce, dirty south, east coast, gangsta, hip-hop, Latin, and many more rap styles. The purpose of rap is to reflect its origin in the hip-hop culture of young, urban, working class African-Americans. Due to its rising popularity, it has become more commercialized.

Now to the conclusion. Rap and poetry are not the same thing. Rap resembles poetry’s spoken word but has a very different sound and culture. Most of the time, poetry is based on word flow and rhyme alone. Even though rap’s wording and message may be poetic, the rules are not the same as poetry. Poetry provides imagery and rap create images to connect to their audience.