Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal is joined by Elizabeth Alexander to discuss the black art aesthetic, growing recognition for black poets and whether hip-hop is poetry. Alexander—the Thomas E.

Hip-hop and poetry share deep, intertwined roots that stretch from ancient oral traditions to today’s global stages. Both rely on rhythm, rhyme, and vivid storytelling to preserve culture and spark ...

Poetry is the structural rhetoric used to evoke emotional qualities. Rap is, at the etymological root, the chanting of rhymed lyrics in time to a beat. The literary facet of poetry has been around for ...