Rap & Spoken Word

the history of rap

what is voice?

examples

• "Three Ways to Speak English" by Jamila Lysicott (TED Talk)
• "A Wake" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

what is cultural appropriation?

• Essential Question: If rap and spoken word were created by the black community, how can white performers use it as an expressive art?
• What celebrities can you think of have appropriated other cultures? Why is this an issue?

How can we use voice?

• How can we use voice as we know it to tell our experiences?
• How can we do it while being aware of culture?

spoken word as a radical social tool

• "Changes" by Tupac Shakur
• "Same Love" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
• "Body Love" by Mary Lambert
• "Words I Never Said" by Lupe Fiasco
• "White Privilege" by Macklemore

analyzing your favorites

• Analyze it using the following guidelines:
• Who is it by? When was it written?
• Is it responding to an event in history? Telling a personal story?
• Is it taking something from another culture? What does this say about the validity of the voice?