Normally, nobody would find similarities between the works of Emily Dickinson or Shakespeare and the rap of artists like Common. However, the arts of poetry and hip-hop are innately linked through their origins.
Rap is a subset of hip-hop that stemmed out of the Bronx in the 1970s, in which “hip-hop’s pioneers fashioned in rap an art form that draws … from the legacy of Western verse and the musical traditions of jazz, blues, funk, gospel and reggae, ” according to Adam Bradley and Andrew DuBois’s The Anthology of Rap.
Ohio University’s Hip Hop Congress contains artists from all areas, including poets, hip- hop artists and those who blend the two in their lyrics.
“I think the way hip hop and poetry come together is kind of like the conscious (mindset),” said Erin Johnson, Hip Hop Congress president. “You have your mainstream artists and then your conscious MC lyricists. They speak from the heart, which is how most poets write, they speak from their experiences.”
Johnson, a junior studying sociology and criminology, added that many mainstream artists write for an audience that would rather hear light-hearted subjects instead of more difficult topics.
Torin Jacobs, a member of Hip Hop Congress who writes poetry, said there are definite gaps between the two artistic forms, but they’re similar.
“When I try to write a poem, it sounds very balanced and musical,” said Jacobs, a senior studying education. “Sometimes when you (do hip hop) the message gets lost in the beat and the guitar … when you’re doing spoken word, they have no choice but to listen to what you’re saying.”
Jonathan “JDoze” Udoezer began writing poetry in high school, which he never exposed to the public. He then began doing hip-hop music when he arrived at college, which he said he views as “poetry over instrumentals.”
Udoezer, a junior in the school of media arts and studies, said some of the differences between hip-hop and poetry come from the content matter.
“It depends on whether you’re taking a poetic approach or an entertainment approach,” JDoze added. “I take a poetic approach. I try to cover all topics … sometimes I do songs that take the audience a (couple times) to understand.”
This type of lyric writing is exemplified in the emcees, or masters of ceremonies, according to Anthology of Rap. Johnson said many of the emcees who participate in Hip Hop Congress are also poets.
“I think if more mainstream artists changed the way they put their music forth, a lot more people would be willing to listen to conscious music,” Johnson said.
“They have that ability and they choose not to, specifically because that’s not what people want to hear.”
