Rap or Poetry?

   When we think of poetry, we typically think of poets such as Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, or Ernest Hemingway. These are classical poets that we are exposed to in grade school and are well renown throughout the world. They are applauded by critics for their use of language, poetic devices, and are accredited for being the pioneers for the basis of poetry. Few people realize that they are not the only classic poets out there. Many times musical artists are poets also, but the difference is their art is said to a beat. These artists or lyricists are familiar to the people and more easily understood then say the works of Shakespeare which is written in Old English. A prime example of this would be the rapper known as Tupac Shukur. The rapper addressed issues within the community and made people aware of these situations. He his famous for his use of assonance and alliteration in his songs. His raps told stories. Artists such as him are famous for conveying urban issues by a use of a small anecdote.
      I feel as if as students we should not only be exposed to the classic poets, but also the more modern ones. Few people can relate to the diction and situations depicted within poems in history. Today, a lot has changed and a lot more issues have arose. Students should be exposed to both (of course, the less vulgar forms of lyrics for today's music).