Rap

Raps, originating from American street culture and which unlike a song which is set to music is spoken over a musical backing or beat. Rap has a syncopated rhythm meaning that the beats that are emphasised are not the ones you would usually expect. This type of poetry is designed for performance and to be read aloud.

The example below is a retelling of a traditional tale.

Hey everybody, listen, yo!
Here’s a tale you might just know.
It’s all about the 3 lil’pigs.
… how 2 moved out to the house of twigs!

The house of straw let in the breeze,
One pig was allergic, and started to wheeze.
‘I cant live here’, with asthma so bad’
‘My huffin’and puffin’is driving me mad!’

(huffin’and a puffin’, huffin’and a puffin’)

‘I’ll tell you what we can do,'
His brother said, ‘don’t be so blue…’
‘The house of twigs is up for sale,
We can move in there and ditch this bale!’

(it’s up for sale, let’s ditch this bale!)