I teach 7th Grade in the middle of Whitesville, USA, so naturally all the kids love rap and hip hop music. Anyway, I used to use some Eminem lyrics that were clean enough to introduce poetry.
I think that’s getting dated, however. I want to use something a bit more recent and I have a couple rules.
It has to be clean, or at least have an extended section of clean lyrics(I used the chorus to "Follow Me’ for Eminem).
It has to be popular enough that I don’t look like an old fogie idiot(I’m 30, by the way, but clueless about this music).
It has to have some poetic elements, like rhyme and alliteration, or even repetition. Similes and Metaphors are nice, too. Rhymes can be imperfect and grammar, obviously, does not matter.
My co-worker suggested “In the Ayer” by Flo Rider, but I’m not sure if it is clean.
Look at Will Smith’s stuff. He’s usually pretty clean, though he may be perceived as dated now. You may even have some kids say, “Will Smith? The actor?!? He used to RAP?!?”
His version of “Just The Two Of Us” is sappy yet positive.
It’s a couple of years old, but Lupe Fiasco’s “Kick, Push.” The song focuses on skateboarding, but it’s really an extended metaphor for being different in life and not giving into the pressure to be like everyone else (my interpretation, at least). There’s some really nice rhymes (“He said, ‘I would marry but I’m engaged to the aerials and varials’”) and the chorus uses repetition (“So they kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, kick, push, coast …”) as well as the end of the verses.
This is a question I’ve always had, why is hip-hop, in general, NOT considered to be poetry, be it “good” or “bad”?
Well for the basics, let’s start with Haiku D’Etat’s Outro, from their (wonderful)album Coup De Theatre. It is a song composed almost entirely of haiku poems, except for the chorus which simply explains what a haiku is- “written in 5, 7, 5; three lines that don’t rhyme” The whole album has great poetry, and music, through out; it is a clean album too. Other songs to check out- “Kats” and “Transitions and Eras”
Perhaps my all time favorite hip-hop song, Illogic’s 1000 Whispers(w/The Who sample). IMHO, I would say it is pure poetry. Lyrics; only the talking intro has one f-bomb, otherwise it’s clean. More from Illogic- Celestial Clockwork, The Only Constant
Qwel tells the story of a race up a mountain between a Salmon, Sparrow, and Billy Goat in Fabel Salt(some language)
One last one, Substantial’s Think Different, where in he breaks down the difference between “Rap” and “Hip-Hop”. Lyrics(a little more than some language)
Here is my list of good hip-hop on youtube. Most of it is pretty clean and/or generally positive. I would probably, for the kids, *avoid ***Immortal Technique **and Jedi Mind Tricks, but do be sure to check out two home town favorites(Seattle and Denver)- **Blue Scholars **and Flobots
I’ll second mswaw’s suggestion of Aesop Rock, a master of word play. One of my favorite lines of his- “Now I’m thinking who am I? Jabberwocky Superfly…”
I’m also with** Lisa-go-Blind **on Lupe Fiasco. For talent + widespread appeal he is one of, if not tops, in the game right now.
They’re not well known tracks, but you might find it interesting to take a look at the pair of videos released by the Blue Scholars and Common Market when their shows got canceled by one of the Seattle snowstorms this winter.
The Cool Kids have some stuff that’s clever and might be something your students could relate to. Playing video games, eating cereal, people trying to be the cool kids.
My kids were singing non words as lyrics so I said, “let’s look up the words!” Big mistake! It’s not about a soldier or a boy! I told them, “by golly, you’ve already got it right!”