Can reading poetry make you a better writer? The way poetry pushes up against the rules of grammar makes it a great teacher even for the writing of standard prose. And while plenty of poems are best comprehended by the wise and mature, hip-hop is a...
“Don’t be frontin’!” A Texas college student is curious about the origin of fronting, and learns that it goes back several decades to the world of petty criminals. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Slang Term “Fronting”” Howdy, you...
Hip-hop is high art. If you don’t understand that, you’re missing out on some of the best poetry being created today. Grant talks about the new book by English professor Adam Bradley called Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip-Hop.
rap v.—Gloss: short for “rappel.” «He kept falling, flailing and failing to make the moves, eventually just hanging on the rope and begging me to lower him down to the last ledge. He was out of steam; we rapped back to the ground.» —“A Match Made...
rapso n.— «Anchor Marco Werman profiles a musical trio from Trinidad called 3canal. The band specializes in a musical blend of soca, rap and soul, known in Trinidad as “rapso.”» —“Global Hit (5:30)” The World Nov. 5, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued...
guap n.— «Late last night I was watching some rap star or hip hop mogul on Carson Daly, and Carson asked him about “new cool urban” words. The guy told him that the new word for “Money” is “Guac” as in short for Guacamole. Some people sometimes...
