By Leo Corman ’15

In an effort to make their poetry unit more engaging for students, AP English Literature teachers came to a bold but controversial decision: incorporate rap lyrics into the curriculum. Although most people don’t normally associate rap with the kind of literary excellence reserved for high school English courses, these teachers contend that such music is indeed worthy of such consideration.

“I have to admit I was skeptical at first, and even after I’d heard the songs a few times, I still didn’t get it. They just seemed so inane and meaningless,” said AP English Literature teacher Maureen Meushaw. “But after extensively listening to the songs and poring over the lyrics for several hours, I started to find all sorts of subtleties and nuances and wonderful hidden meaning. It was like peeling an onion, each successive layer uncovering a more profound significance than the last. And I did cry a little, it was just so beautiful.”

Teachers have been fascinated by rap artists’ remarkable capacity for wordplay. Consider this from 2 Chainz in “Hijack”: “I’ve got plaques on my walls, you’ve got gingivitis.” At first, this line contains the obvious dental pun. Upon further observation, however, these lines provide a powerful commentary on the dual nature of fame. 2 Chainz has physical plaques that commemorate his rapping success, but he also has metaphorical plaque that symbolizes the downsides of that success—excessive attention, lack of privacy, false friends, etc. While 2 Chainz does prefer his position to that of the average person (he does not want to have gingivitis), his lifestyle nonetheless presents its own unique challenges. This perceptive and insightful viewpoint also serves to humanize rappers in general, allowing ordinary people to empathize with them in their difficult situation.

Students and teachers alike have recognized rappers’ ability to endow their songs with impressive overall themes, with a particular affinity for the works of Chief Keef. In Keef’s “Hate Being Sober,” students and teachers see more than a simplistic song about drugs and alcohol. Instead, they note a Hamlet-like, existentialist contemplation of life, especially in the repeated line “I can’t spell sober.” This parallels the critic D.G. James’ analysis of Hamlet, stating, “Hamlet does not know; and he knows no way of knowing.” Keef can’t even understand how to face the evils of the world sober, much less actually do so while intoxicated. These lyrics embody the philosophical and poetic brilliance that characterizes the vast majority of what was once thought to be “ignorant” rap music.

Unfortunately, many parents don’t share Meushaw’s high regard for rap. They instead prefer words like inappropriate, obscene, asinine and “crap” to describe the genre. These parents maintain that rap has no deeper value beneath its surface, only the literal meaning of the lyrics. Meushaw fervently disagrees, arguing, “If you take the lyrics at face value, then yes, they’re clearly nonsensical. But that’s the whole point—no assemblage of words could be so absurd and senseless, it just isn’t possible. There has to be a greater meaning, a reason why, right? Otherwise it would just be garbage.”