Are Rappers Poets?

Some of my favourite poets are also rappers. Sage Francis and Kyprios both do spoken word, in addition to rap. But would they still be considered poets if they didn’t do pieces that were obviously spoken word bits (as opposed to rap songs)?

Are rappers poets?

Rappers definitely fall into the role of rock star, but can their lyrics be considered poetry? It’s not an easy question to answer. Like most things in life, there isn’t a definite answer.

The best answer we can arrive at is probably going to be: maybe. Just as you likely wouldn’t consider all songwriters to be poets, it’s a bit of a stretch to call all rappers poets.

While rap typically places more emphasis on the lyrics than a lot of rock or pop music does—which is probably why some people consider rap to be a form of poetry—a lot of the most popular rap songs are only popular because they have a good beat. If you stop and listen to the lyrics, you probably won’t be saying to yourself, “Soulja Boy is a brilliant poet! I love the imagery evoked by the line, ‘Superman that ho!’”

But then there are the rappers, like the aforementioned Sage Francis and Kyprios, who also write and perform poetry. Their poetry often informs their music, too. For example, a lot of Kyprios’ early songs were poems that he reworked into raps after he become interested in hip hop.

Similarly, when performing live, Sage Francis often reworks his song as spoken word pieces. I don’t just mean that he raps acapella, either. His whole performance is different and, if you didn’t know better, you’d likely think he was reciting a poem rather than a rap.

If the songs themselves draw from poerty—or can become poems—that lends creedance to the idea that rappers are poets. Some of them, at least.

And, maybe, these rappers can bring poetry to the people. Maybe they can help promote the idea of the rock star poet.

Unfortunately, most of these rap star poets aren’t household names. Everyone has heard of Jay-Z or 50 Cent; far fewer have heard of Sage Francis or Kyprios.

Still…it’s a start.