Rappers and MC's

[Truerenigma]

Can rappers be poets? Well, that depends.-- Do they write poetry? Is rap poetry? No. It's a performance art. Poetry is words on a page. Some rap may work as a poem, but not necessarily any better than lyrics from any other genre IMO.

Slam poetry is something entirely different, and may be pretty closely related to rap, in some ways, but that's a different animal.

Poetry is not just words on a page. If it were, why would we bother with sonics at all? Why use alliteration? Why rhyme? Why use meter?

Poetry is on a page for recording purposes only. With a few exceptions (e.g. concrete poetry), sound should be one of its primary concerns. Rap is no less poetry than a limerick is -- and just like limericks, there are some great examples even if the vast majority happens to be puerile and pathetic.

Sure, the sounds are important. But the sounds that come from the words. Rappers use alliteration, etc. but it's more about the artist's charisma and delivery. Music doesn't have to be compared to poetry in order to be validated, and doing so isn't fair. poetry and music are related, but not the same thing. Here, on a poetry site, where our main medium is the words on the page, I'm more concerned with literature.