How are Hip-hop and the Spoken Word correlated?
Oh my God. They’re very close—cousins. Haha. But seriously, they come from the same root. Where would Hip-hop be without Poetry? When you break it down, it’s a form, one of the branches of that tree. It’s part of the same lineage. Emcees, poets, we’re doing the same thing… documenting and telling our stories. Emcees and poets are like the African griots. We tell these stories to keep the history alive, but more importantly, we’re supposed to set the vision for where society should be. Some are doing exactly that. However, what’s heard on the radio is only one side of Hip-hop, which is sad. People and integrity have to become the bottom line, not money. And, that’s where Hip-hop music has to change now a day. When you think of kids from the South Bronx and their rhymes, the beauty in their struggle is unmatchable… I think we’re due for the rebirth of SOMETHING. But the essence of Hip-hop is definitely synonymous to Poetry, to the spoken word. Do you care whether your poetry means someth
