Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop by Adam Bradley
Most would agree that history's great poets include figures such as Shakespeare, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost and Maya Angelou. But what about GrandMaster Caz, Jay-Z, KRS-One, Nas or Grandmaster Mele Mel? A book of rhymes is where MCs write their lyrics and is thus, where Rap becomes poetry. In BOOK OF RHYMES: The Poetics of Hip Hop (Basic Civitas; March 3, 2009), literary scholar Adam Bradley explores the poetic intricacies of MC'ing, explaining how "My flow is in the pocket like wallets / I got the bounce like hydraulics" compares to "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? / Though art more lovely and more temperate." Bradley, who was trained in Black Studies by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Cornel West, and in poetics by poetry critic Helen Vendler, dissects the basic components of poetry, revealing the ways in which MC'ing not only conforms to, but has advanced the medium.
Release Date: March 3, 2009 (Basic Civitas Books)
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