As the debate wages on about the Bard's relatability -- and whether or not relatability matters to begin with-- a hilarious Tumblr has surfaced that translates modern-day pop songs into Shakespearean sonnets. “They’d go bananas when we would do it, and they loved all the musical stuff we put in there.”. Akala said he’d first seen Shakespeare’s genius and “subversive potential” when he was a teenager, for which he credits good English and drama teachers at his inner-city London high school. As well as earning the group critical acclaim, the album drew attention to the ever-growing scene of Mayan rappers. The group’s debut album Tributo a los 20 Nawales contains 20 impressive and deeply original songs. But when first approaching it in high school, that’s a side that students don’t often see. Macbeth or Kanye West? Overwhelmingly towards hip hop. But rap is only one of many hip-hop elements available to educators who teach Shakespeare. The Bard meets the Backstreet Boys in Pop Sonnets, a collection of 100 classic pop songs reimagined as Shakespearean sonnets.All of your favorite artists are represented in these pages—from Bon Jovi and Green Day to Miley Cyrus, Beyoncé, and beyond. “In the sense of, if you’re not white and you don’t speak in a particular way and you don’t have money, then you’re not a 'legitimate' custodian of the knowledge. Unfortunately, a majority of the language in rap and hip-hop music is inappropriate, offensive or “dirty.” If you actually listen to lyrics in rap and hip-hop … When asked if teachers can use hip-hop to connect students to Shakespeare, she said, “Students can use hip-hop to connect themselves to Shakespeare. Lecture: The Hip Hop of Shakespeare. In a recent TEDx Talk, Akala gave multiple examples of hip-hop songs that mimic the iambic rhythm (de-DUM de-DUM) that Shakespeare used for the vast majority of his verse—the language and rhythm fused together in a style so similar that the audience had difficulty deciphering which verse was Shakespeare’s and which was hip-hop. But hip-hop and freestyle and beatbox, which is all about meter and rhyme, is a fabulous way to enter that world. If Shakespeare Wrote Pop Songs. But beyond finding the rhyming parallels between Jay-Z and the Bard, Akala seems to be on a broader mission, and that’s to bring a message to students that Shakespeare, or what many consider any “great” art, doesn’t belong to any one group. His legacy can be seen in countless ways, from the curriculum of our English classes to the everyday use of the adjective “Shakespearean,” and even to the lyrics in our favorite songs. They talked about Socrates. Hip-hop is a current form of verbal self-expression used within the urban community and, because of this, it could well serve as a good portal into the world of critical literacy. Created by: mckinnonkelly Language: English. 400 years ago this guy was talking about this [suicide, indecision], so really, nothing has changed, has it?”, When they brought it to high schools, “Shakespeare Meets Hip-Hop” was an instant success. #shakespeare #rapper. In a recent TEDx Talk, Akala gave multiple examples of hip-hop songs that mimic the iambic rhythm (de-DUM de-DUM) that Shakespeare used for the vast majority of his verse -- the language and rhythm fused together in a style so similar that the audience had difficulty deciphering which verse was Shakespeare and which was hip-hop. And with the music and the beats and the rapping, it makes an old subject brand new." Point out that Shakespeare was writing in beats, lyrical beats so we can put them to hip hop beats. Hip hop? Though Shakespeare and hip-hop have a long history, certain artists have referenced the bard more than others. In addition to those four elements, Afrika Bambaataa insisted that “knowledge of self” is the official fifth element of hip-hop culture. Subscribe to receive weekly updates of MindShift stories every Sunday. You’ll also receive a carefully curated list of content from teacher-trusted sources. “The presentation itself, they loved,” Kelly said. These figurative language worksheets with passage are based on our Jazz Age history rap song. That's why we really appreciate geniuses like Shakespeare Lyrics, a Twitter account dedicated to translating pop songs into Shakespearean slang for the cultured and classy. Listen to the words that Wu Tang had the audacity to use: words like cometh and benevolent. That’s Wu-Tang again, that’s from a gentleman named Inspectah Deck. Readers recommend: songs about Shakespeare – results Whether it's pop songs about Romeo and Juliet or raps about the Prince of Tyre, here's the best of … “Think of Titus Andronicus -- one guy doesn’t like some other guys, so he cuts them up and puts them in a pie and feeds them to the other guys’ parents. See more ideas about sonnets, songs, pop songs. This project was originally published in 2014 and recently updated in January 2019 with newer lyrics data and 75 additional artists, including Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, Migos, and 21 Savage.. Findings Part I: Content Analysis. Balam Ajpu are a hip-hop and reggae group from Guatemala City who perform in a mixture of Tz’utujil and Spanish. Using rap music to interpret Shakespeare is the most popular approach among educators when drawing connections between hip-hop and Shakespeare. If Biggie Smalls told that same story, people would say, ‘Why is Biggie promoting violence?’ ”. Language Arts Shakespeare is Hip-Hop This cutting-edge CD and Teacher Resource Book feature 17 original rap songs covering six of Shakespeare’s most-taught plays: Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth and Othello. Akala performs Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 to various hip hop beats at TEDxAldeburgh. After this, students can try to translate modern songs into Shakespearean language. A creative and enjoyable lesson, including a quiz and a group creative writing activity. Focusing on productions that meld the two styles in experimental ways, THSC also provides workshops aimed at students to expand their understanding of what Shakespeare is, and what it could be. Growing up in London as the grandson of Jamaican immigrants, Akala felt commonalities with the roots of American hip-hop, which was born in the tumultuous neighborhoods of the Bronx in the 1970s. In addition to providing a portal into critical literacy, using hip-hop in the classroom can promote a … Oct 4, 2015 - Explore gissella ♡'s board "songs as sonnets ♡" on Pinterest. The song takes an in-depth look at the Roaring Twenties and the culture and history that surrounded the dev. The word "Elizabethan" can refer to anything which resembles or is related to the Elizabethan era in England's history - the latter half of the 1500s when Queen Elizabeth I ruled. 16th Century disco? Shakespeare may be the most quotable man in history, but is he the most musical? Shakespeare loved to write, but didn't approve of what some of his friends got up to. How Hip-Hop Can Bring Shakespeare to Life. Artistic director Michael Kelly had been bringing Shakespeare to schools in the greater Toronto area since 1987 with his company Shakespeare in Action, creating presentations and workshops for ages kindergarten through high school. Every year on April 23, literary and drama aficionados worldwide honor the anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, one of the most influential writers in the English language. “[Shakespeare] is the only book that we give to students that has footnotes everywhere, footnotes and glossaries, where we tell kids practically what every word means,” she said. “The axiom I go by is, you learn Shakespeare by doing Shakespeare,” he said. “I grew up listening to Chuck D and Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley, and all kinds of really deep, political social commentary forms of music,” he said. Shakespeare used iambic pentameter to write his plays. Watch Akala perform Sonnet 18 at 5:20 here: Peggy O’Brien, director of education at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., said often the study of Shakespeare can focus too much on what the words mean and not enough on what they sound and feel like. Play the Shakespeare Rap (4:268:22). A group of England-based, Renaissance-style musicians seem to think so. Most recently, JAY-Z quoted Hamlet on “Marcy Me” off of his latest album, 4:44. No one has championed the connection between the centuries-old literature of Shakespeare and hip-hop music more than MOBO Award-winning UK rapper Akala, born Kingslee Daley, who was so moved by the similarities between the two that he founded The Hip-Hop Shakespeare Company (THSC) in London. If Shakespeare were around today, he’d be doing what Lin-Manuel Miranda has done.” Miranda used hip-hop to tell the story of the "$10 founding father," Alexander Hamilton in this year’s smash Broadway musical, Hamilton. QUIZ: Are these lyrics from Shakespeare or the world of hip-hop? I ONLY DID THIS FOR A SCHOOL PROJECT, ANY HATE COMMENTS WILL BE REPORTED AND REMOVED! Drake or The Taming of the Shrew? 22 pop songs reimagined as Shakespearean sonnets ... Every Thursday, Pop Sonnets does exactly that, most recently nipping ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” with a little Elizabethan flair. AJ says: "Because hip-hop tells stories, Shakespeare is a good subject. Released on the anniversary of Shakespeare's birthday, a cluster of the genius' sonnets have been reworked into modern-pop songs on "Shakespeare… Fun quiz for students to guess whether provided quotes are from Shakespearean plays or popular rap songs. Though Shakespeare and hip-hop have a long history, certain artists have referenced the bard more than others. That’s what’s interesting about the two art forms,” he said. All Your Favorite Pop Songs, Rewritten as Brilliant Shakespearean Sonnets. “And the idea [of the workshops] was to get kids up on their feet and speak Shakespeare aloud.”, Then two years ago, at the suggestion of a fellow actor, Kelly decided to take a different tack: Incorporate music, specifically hip-hop, into a typical workshop. “We will say [to the students], ‘Oh, isn’t that interesting? We’ve culled together the best of the Pop Sonnets archive in the gallery up top. This translator takes English as input and converts to Shakespeare English. They put the words into an intrinsic rhythm; even rap artists can still use his work. “Coming from a socioeconomically privileged background doesn’t make you more intelligent than anyone else. “And so what happens is, we focus only on the meaning, and we forget that a ton of what Shakespeare is about is what it sounds like with the language, the meter and the rhyme. His ever popular works ( dramas and poems ) makes his language style live even today. Using a content analysis method, this study analyzed the lyrics of 20 rap/hip-hop songs included in Billboard’s Year-End “Hot 100” singles list ranging from 2000-2010 (Refer to Table 1 on page 76). Lil Wayne or The Tempest? Akala said that Shakespeare was viewed by Elizabethans the way hip-hop is viewed today by middle-class Americans or British: “It was considered a little bit risky, a little bit naughty and dangerous.”. “So when I encountered Shakespeare in school, I immediately recognized the kind of genius in his work -- elaborate characterization and the rhythm, particularly.”, Part of the unofficial mission of THSC is to knock Shakespeare off its “high art” pedestal, which it certainly wasn’t considered in its time. The pupils need to try and translate the modern, well known songs (which are written in Shakespearean language) to work out the title or modern lyrics. Tune in to Will on July 10, 2017 on TNT. 88 Shares. In conclusion, language, in hip-hop and rap music includes profanity, sexism, and slang, which we may consider arbitrary. And for me, growing up thousands of miles away from New York in London, it gave me a sense at 13 years old that intelligence was sexy, that it was interesting and attractive.”. Lesson Plan Rewriting Shakespeare. For people from my background -- children of working-class, immigrant populations -- we were inspired by Wu-Tang Clan, from the projects of Staten Island. O’Brien said that Shakespeare has been adapted to different times in history since nearly the moment he wrote the plays, and calls the trend to bring hip-hop and Shakespeare together a great one. “Shakespeare, like all great poetry, deals with what it means to be human: love, tragedy, war, violence,” Akala said. Who We Are. You just have more access,” he said. 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