I don't like Hip-Hop. People understand this about me as much as they understand that I don't like shellfish. No, I'm not allergic. No, I don't like lobster. No, I don't like shrimp. Yes, I eat some fish. And, yes, I do know what I'm missing because I've tasted it all before and I don't like it.
The story with Hip-Hop is usually much more aggressive but similar just the same. Yes, I enjoy poetry. No, Hip-Hop is not the same as poetry. No, I don't have anything against Hip-Hop. No, I don't believe it's all about drug dealers, murder, and the "b"-word. No, I am not making a political stand against Hip-Hop. I prefer lyrics be sung and most Hip-Hop is rap. Yes, it is possible to be from Memphis and not like Hip-Hop.
Anyway, I recently decided to embark upon a self-study of Hip-Hop. I enlisted the help of people who enjoy the music and were willing to give me a song list of about 10 songs or so to listen to and who understood that I enjoyed a good vocal hook to be, uh, hooked, to the song. What happens to me is as I listen to the rapped lyrics I get either sleepy or annoyed and don't really hear what is being said – sometimes I miss the benefit of great lyrics. The other issue is I miss out on metaphors, similes, and slang because I am not focused on what the artist is trying to say.
So, my pre-lesson for Hip-Hop was to go to a children's book that Nikki Giovanni edited that had an audio component – Hip-Hop Speaks to Children: A Celebration of Poetry. I zoned in on a classic Hip-Hop track, Rapper's Delight by The Sugarhill Gang. I own that track in its entirety – all 13 minutes – and started listening to it in the shower. I can recall my older brother and sister talking about how Mama bought that album for them and wrote out the lyrics so they could learn to rap along with the artists. I wanted to listen to anything that was Hip-Hop that I already had some connection to as a warm-up for my ears to lyrics spoken to a beat.
Lesson Learned: I still prefer poetry or spoken word to Hip-Hop. It is not the same thing. However, moving on to Lesson 1.
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