Rappers as Poets
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I know we are probably past this discussion but in thinking of poetic musicians I just had to bring up a couple of rappers I think are pretty poetic. First, Lil Wayne- I don't know if someone else has already brought him up or not. Though at first many people might discount him because he's a rapper, he's one of the few that actually puts thought into the words he sings- he doesn't just talk about clubs and girls and drugs. His lyrics are always clever, if a little crazy sometimes ("I'm high up in the sky, flying with the fishes, or maybe in the ocean swimming with the pigeons. See, my world is different") I think that's part of what makes him an artist. Another rapper whose lyrics I admire is Kanye West. Both of these rappers take the genre of rap to a new level, using it to talk about subjects that are important to them, from religion to politics to, yes, occasionally chillin' in the club. The beats and rhythms they use help them to make their messages even stronger.
Lupe Fiasco
I wanted to add to this post! I think that Lupe Fiasco is also an amazing rapper, one that doesn't rap about materialistic things,such as money, clothes, cars, or women. Instead, he finds his passion in relaying real-life problems to his audience, through his music, and conveys them through poetic lyrics. For instance, the song "Streets on Fire" reaches out to those who have been afflicted with AIDS. Initially, because of the beat and the fast-pace of the song, you would not suspect that the topic of this song has to do with AIDS, but if you pay close attention to the lyrics, this becomes apparent.
"Disease the virus is spreading in all directions
No safe zone no cure and no protection
No symptoms to find or signs of an infection
No vaccines remedies and no corrections...
no pill
can heal
The ill of this
Sickness some are still in doubt of it's existence
Some call it forgiveness and some call it the vengeance
Some say it's an exit and some say it's an entrance
The poor say the rich have the cure
The rich say the poor are the source
Revolutionaries say it's psychological war
Invented by the press"
The song has a really fast beat, which could relate to the idea he's trying to convey: AIDS is spreading, and it's spreading fast.
Kanye West is a good example.
Kanye West is a good example. I forget the song, but he recorded a whole song after a car crash where he had his jaw wired shut. I always found that to be more original than most of the other rappers out there.
The Greatest Hip-Hop Poet
The song you're thinking of by Kanye is "Through the Wire."
Hip-hop and poetry are indeed closely tied. I think there is still a distinction between a skilled rapper and a skilled lyricist, however. Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West both possess great songwriting skills, but I wouldn't classify all their work as poetry (imagine reading the lyrics without music, as you would a poem). Some rappers I would call poetic are Nas and Talib Kweli. And in my opinion, the ultimate would be Rakim from the early '90s.
It's not that I'm not dissing Lupe and Kanye here. They happen to be two of my favorite rappers, and in my opinion, their music is considerably better than that of any other modern, mainstream hip-hop artist. Some of their work could be called poetry, but i think in both cases many of their songs succeed not just on lyrics, but equally because of the quality of their beats and top-notch studio production. Rakim, on the other hand, used stripped-down, bare-bones beats to place the emphasis on his lyrics, which were always the force that carried the song. His rapping is more like a poem with subtle rhythmic accompaniment rather than the grand-scale technologic masterpieces of Kanye and Lupe's songs.