Abstract

It has become commonplace to compare Shakespeare and modern hip hop artists by asking questions such as “Is Shakespeare or Kendrick Lamar greater?” Yet the dangerous implications of these irresponsible comparisons, such as lionizing artists and ignoring their work, have gone largely unnoticed. This paper seeks to remove the authors from the debate and compare and contrast the linguistics of twenty-first-century hip hop and Shakespeare. Despite the respective artists’ social, political, and cultural differences, an investigation of hip hop and Shakespeare’s fundamentals reveal that they are not radically opposed forms of expression but similar forms of expression. This paper aims to challenge our understanding of who we merit worthy of artistry by redirecting our attention to the art, so we can return to the artist without prejudice, and by doing so suggest that not everyone, but anyone, including a dead playwright from England and a kid from Compton, can create admirable art.

And here’s a playlist of all the songs I used in my graduate thesis.

Disclaimer: The following playlist contains explicit language that some listeners may find offensive. Listener discretion is advised. Proceed at your own risk and education.

I live my life in the margin

And that metaphor was proof.

Kendrick Lamar, “Poetic Justice”