Lesson Overview:
Analysis of hip hop music and lyrics can provide students with a greater understanding of rhythm, form, diction, and sound in poetry. Students will analyze form in Shakespearean sonnets, then analyze hip hop music to determine common characteristics between the Bard's work and the music of hip hop artists. Students will reinforce their understanding of the connections between hip hop and poetry through close analysis of the works of poets Saul Williams and Nikki Giovanni, and through the creation of their own poetry.
Length of Lesson:
Four 45-minute periods
Notes:
This lesson is suitable with adaptation for grades 11-12.
Instructional Objectives:
- identify the rhyme scheme in Shakespeare's sonnets and in hip hop lyrics
- discuss several poetic terms, including rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, meter, and form
- analyze meaning and craft of hip hop lyrics and poetry by Nikki Giovanni and Saul Williams
- detect use of poetic characteristics in hip hop lyrics
- discuss the commonalities between hip hop music and poetry
- write their own poems, incorporating new poetry terminology
Supplies:
For the Student:
For the Teacher:
- Blackalicious. Nia. Quannum Projects, LLC. 2000. CD. (available at any local CD store or Internet music store)
- CDs of hip hop artists (see Sources)
- CD Player
- DVD or VHS Player (optional)
- Computer with Internet access (optional)
- Examples and excerpts of Shakespeare sonnets (available at EDSITEment.com's Sonnet Bank)
- Copy of Nikki Giovanni's poem "Ego Tripping" (available at Nikki Giovanni: Multimedia: Ego Tripping Web site)
- Copy of Saul Williams's poem "Amethyst Rocks" in The Spoken Word Revolution (see Sources)
Instructional Plan:
Warm Up
Using the Sonnet Bank within EDSITEment's Sounds of the Sonnet lesson, distribute copies of Shakespearean sonnets such as "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day" or any of the sonnets listed. If students are already familiar with the form of Shakespeare's sonnets, review the characteristics with them. If students are not familiar with the form, explain to them that Shakespeare adapted the sonnet form from a previously existing form, the Petrarchan sonnet, which was developed by the Italian poet Petrarch and characterized by an octet (eight lines) followed by a sestet (six lines). In the octet, the poet would open with a strong statement or an intellectual or emotional question. In the sestet, the poet would come to a resolution about the topic posed in the beginning of the poem.
Explain to students that Petrarch was responsible for making the sonnet form famous; his work Canzoniere was read across Europe and soon reached England, shifting in form along the way. Ask students to figure out the rhyme scheme of the Shakespearean sonnet. Explain that the Petrarchan rhyme scheme was ababcdcd cdecde. Shakespeare's sonnet, as revealed by the rhyme scheme, is comprised of three quatrains and a concluding couplet. This form allowed for a freer association of images from quatrain to quatrain that comes to a resolution in the concluding couplet. Fortunately for sonnet writers in England, the Shakespearean sonnet worked to their advantage: whereas rhymes are more easily created in the Italian language, words in the English language do not allow for as many rhymes.
Hip Hop as Poetry?
Ask students to name different forms of poetry and write them on the board (i.e., free verse, sonnets, sestinas, odes, etc.). Ask students if they listen to hip hop then ask them if they think hip hop is a form of poetry. Discuss with students what hip hop and poetry (usually) have in common. Some characteristics to point out: careful attention to rhythm in lyrics, as well as end rhyme, slant rhyme, internal rhyme, alliteration, and assonance; use of repetition for emphasis; manipulation of language to convey powerful emotions and messages (sometimes controversial and/or personal); choice of diction based on audience. Write each characteristic discussed on the board. You may wish to pass out the Vocabulary handout.
Explain to students that Shakespeare wrote using vocabulary popular during his day, and similarly, hip hop artists incorporate "urban" slang in their lyrics. Shakespeare wrote in iambic pentameter, rap artists often write in sixteen-bar stanzas, normally followed by four-to-eight-bar hooks. (See Jerry Quickley's essay, "hip hop poetry" in The Spoken Word Revolution for more info. For bibliographic information on the book, see the "Sources" section at the end of this lesson). Hip hop is actually a kind of poetry. Play a sample of hip hop and decide if it is indeed in sixteen-bar stanzas. If the song does not follow the typical format, you may wish to discuss how some of the best artists become famous for breaking established and expected forms (i.e., Shakespeare). (See Sources for hip hop artists who generally produce songs that would be appropriate for older high school students, though as always, listen to tracks in their entirety before playing them in the classroom.)
Refer to the poetry characteristics written on the board and point out that there is much to be learned about poetry from hip hop. Pass out copies of Nikki Giovanni's poem "Ego Tripping" available at the Nikki Giovanni Web site. For homework, tell students to write in their notebooks which poetry characteristics can be found in Giovanni's poem, citing specific examples. If appropriate, review the definitions of each characteristic with your students using the poetry terminology handout.
Close Reading: Nikki Giovanni
Discuss the meaning of Giovanni's "Ego Tripping". Who is the "I" in the poem? Depending on students' knowledge of ancient history, you may choose to spend some time defining the references to legendary figures and images, including Nefertiti, the sphinx, Hannibal, the pyramids, Noah, etc. See the PBS Egypt's Golden Empire Web site, the PBS: Warrior Challenge Web site for information about Hannibal or the PBS: NOVA Online/Pyramids for more on the sphinx and the Egyptian pyramids.
List the supernatural elements in the poem (i.e., "sowing diamonds," "created the nile," "crossing the desert in three hours," etc.) and point out that the exact origins of Nefertiti and the pyramids are in dispute. Ask students why they think the speaker of Giovanni's poem claims to have birthed Nefertiti and constructed a pyramid. Ask students what all of the images/figures have in common. Talk about the empowering and all-embracing nature of the poem. Discuss how the speaker embodies the role of the world's creator, and in this way can express awe for the mysteries of the world, whether man-made or natural. Note that Giovanni references both Allah and Jesus, thereby bringing different religions together under a common respect for all of humanity.
Point out that references to Egyptian imagery was a common trait in poems by Harlem Renaissance writers. Discuss the fact that Nikki Giovanni and Harlem Renaissance poets like Langston Hughes referenced Egyptian history to embrace their African heritage. Langton Hughes and other Harlem Renaissance writers included symbols of African history in their works in response to some of their contemporaries, whom many believed rejected their black identity in order to be accepted into the dominant white society. Discuss how the empowered tone in Giovanni's poem is all the more poignant due to the tragic history of African slavery. In other words, Egypt is a positive symbol of ancestral unity among African people as well as a brutal reminder of a homeland that they were torn away from.
Ask students to share with the class the characteristics of hip hop that they found in Giovanni's poem. Discuss students' findings and explain how the writers' word choices and syntax enhance meaning. Some examples include the following:
- how the repetition of the word "so" in the line "I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal" works to create momentum and emphasize the speaker's praise of self for surviving unfair challenges
- how the alliterative use of a "soft" syllable like "s" in the line "as we sailed on a soft summer day" mimics the smooth travel of sailing on calm waters, particularly as compared to the "hard" consonants of "d" and "p" and "t" in the line "I stood proudly at the helm.
- how the rhythm in the line "I walked to the fertile crescent and built the sphinx" imitates the movement of the speaker; the speaker is walking for eight long syllables and creates the sphinx in three syllables, with "built" and "sphinx" as two stressed syllables, thereby emphasizing the weight of the god-like action of building the sphinx. In other words, the line "I walked to the fertile crescent and built the sphinx" has a very different pacing and rhythm than, for example, "I walked to the crescent and created the astonishing sphinx."
- how the rhyme in "so ethereal so surreal" works to create a fluid rhythm and move the poem forward.
- how phrases such as "I am bad" and "I am so hip" work to link the images of ancient history with a modern-day time, thereby speaking to a modern-day audience.
After discussing the poem, reinforce how rhythm in poetry and hip hop can be closely aligned. Play the group Blackalicious's version, "Ego Trip by Nikki Giovanni," which is available on the Nia album. If you cannot obtain the album, you could show students a video clip of Giovanni herself reading the poem on Nikki Giovanni.com (Note: This video clip of Giovanni reading does not reveal the expert rhythmic qualities of her poem as overtly as the Blackalicious rendition.)
Close Reading: Saul Williams
Play a clip of Jurassic 5's "Freedom" for students or another song by artists listed in the Media Sources section of this lesson. Many samples of hip hop music are available on the UniversalUrban.com Web site, including Talib Kweli's "Get By" and Jurassic 5's "Freedom." (Note: The lyrics of artists such as Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Common, Jurassic 5, and Blackalicious may contain some profanity; however, all of these artists write music that relay positive and/or socially conscious messages. Be sure to listen to the music ahead of time to ensure that it is appropriate for your classroom and your comfort level.)
Read an excerpt of the "Freedom" lyrics to students. You may choose to print out the lyrics of the song from Underground Rap Lyrics Source Web site and have students identify the rhyme scheme used by the hip hop artists. Discuss how the song successfully flows and has a driving beat and "head-bopping" rhythm. Take one stanza of the song and examine the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. Notice how the lyrics often consist of iambs, just as Shakespeare wrote in iambs in his sonnet.
While the music is playing, ask students to consider how they would describe hip hop to someone who has never heard it before. Tell them to write down any word or group of words they can think of that would help describe the music, including made-up, onomatopoeic words (words that imitate sounds) that may evoke certain rhythms, a driving beat, or "scratching". Explain that the word "hip hop" is actually one example of an onomatopoeic word.
Refer to the list of hip hop/poetry characteristics discussed in the last class period. Have students point out the poetry characteristics in "Freedom" and discuss the effect of rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, and so on in Jurassic 5's song. Introduce Saul Williams as a writer who incorporates many of the poetic characteristics found in Giovanni's poem as well as more directly related hip hop references.
Pass out copies of Saul Williams's "Amethyst Rocks" (text and audio available in the book The Spoken Word Revolution. A video clip of his reading of the poem is also available on the video/DVD SlamNation. It is best to watch or listen to Williams perform the piece because he performs it with such energy and vivacity. Note: There are some instances of profanity in the poem; if you prefer to analyze a poem without any profanity, you could adapt this activity using Tracie Morris's poem "switchettes (las brujitas)", available in Listen Up! Spoken Word Poetry.
Ask students to point out instances of repetitions of sounds found in "Amethyst Rocks," specifying whether it is an example of internal or end rhyme, exact or slant rhyme, alliteration, or assonance. Also note the use of "urban" slang, colloquial language, and direct references to (or rather, critiques of) other rap artists such as Public Enemy (see second to last stanza of poem) and Cypress Hill (see 3rd stanza; "drives membranes insane" is a reference to Cypress Hill's song "Insane in the Brain"). Discuss how Williams's choice of diction, "sampling" by way of quotes and references, and use of rhyme and assonance contribute to the success of the poem.
Discuss the similarities and differences between "Ego Tripping" and "Amethyst Rocks," including a sense of empowerment in the speaker of the poem as well as references to mythical and religious figures. Lead a discussion on how Saul Williams's poem, like Giovanni's "Ego Tripping," addresses a theme of triumph over adversity. While Giovanni speaks more to a collective history, Williams's speaker triumphs over the day-to-day challenges of living on the streets and avoiding drug addiction, instead "takin' drags off of collards and cornbread / free-basing through saxophones and flutes like mad" and finding peace through spirituality.
Tell students to write their own creative work on the theme of "overcoming challenges," being sure to pay attention to the sound and rhythm of the language they use. Ask students to complete a draft of their poem for homework.
Assessment:
In conjunction with the Assessment Rubric, assess the students based on the following criteria:
- identified examples of hip hop characteristics in Giovanni's "Ego Tripping"
- demonstrated understanding through insightful and frequent participation in class discussions
- wrote a poem that incorporated poetic elements discussed in Williams and Giovanni's work
Extensions:
- Help students improve their writing and become better critical, objective readers of their own work. Spend the next class period workshopping and discussing the students' work (see the ARTSEDGE How-To: The Better the Poem, the Better the Performance).
- Challenge students to write lyrics to a hip hop song, encouraging them to set it to music if they wish.
- Show students video clips of slam poets such as Jessica Care More, DJ Renegade, Tracie Morris, Saul Williams, and Patricia Smith. These poets can be found reading their work on the documentary SlamNation. You could also watch Marc Smith in a live performance on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage Web site. Video clips are preferable due to the expressive body movements of the poets, but good audio clips would provide students with examples of inflection and tone. You can listen to audio clips of several slam poets on the Book of Voices' Catalog Web site. Go through the ARTSEDGE Look-Listen-Learn: Storytellers and Their Tales with your class. Although the activity is geared for younger students, the storyteller Kuniko Yamamoto explains fundamental techniques for expressing stories by paying attention to one's voice and facial and body expressions. Have students practice reading their poems with expression, then have students compete in a poetry slam (see the ARTSEDGE How-To: From Flyer to Slammaster.
Sources:
Print:
- Anglessey, Zoe, ed. Listen Up! Spoken Word Poetry. New York: Ballantine Publishing Group, 1999.
- Cuddon, J.A. The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms: Literary Theory. Revised by C.E. Preston. 4th Edition. London: Penguin Books, 1998.
- Eleveld, Mark, ed. The Spoken Word Revolution. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2003.
Media:
- Blackalicious. Nia. Quannum Projects, LLC. 2000. CD.
- Common. One Day It'll Make Sense. Relativity. 1997. CD.
- Devlin, Paul. SlamNation. 1999. Videocassette or DVD.
- Jurassic 5. Power in Numbers. Interscope Records. 2002. CD.
- Mos Def. Black on Both Sides. Rawkus (Uni). 2002. CD.
- Talib Qweli. Quality. MCA. 2002. CD.
Web:
Authors:
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Theresa Sotto
Santa Monica, CA
