I would venture the guess that a large majority of teachers wouldn’t dream of using raps in the classroom. I can understand that. Rap music and much of the rap scene is heavily macho oriented and oozing with sex and violence. But, as the English saying goes, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ A rap is, at bottom, wordplay. As such, it can be a valuable ally in the classroom. Raps can foster a love of words, of playing with the words, rhythm, melody and intonation of the English language. And, as far as the contents are concerned, there’s no law that says rap texts have to be full of ghetto pathos, violence and sexism.
I have created several current topic Raps e.g. Obama/Tiger Woods.
Here is an Excerpt:
(written one day before the election)
Dear Mr. Obama,
Mister Yes-we-can-man!
How I long for your victory.
It’ll mean so much to me,
the fourth of July,
Independence Day,
America free!
No longer dependent
on Bush and Cheney!
You’re the leader
America needs,
a man of decency
and integrity.
Your campaign blew my mind,
your equanimity
vis a vis mud-slinging enemies,
facing them with a smile
and quiet rationality!
Tomorrow is D Day,
your day, our day,
the day Americans turn the tables
on the powers that be,
and choose wisely,
choose you to turn America away
from its one-way, my way
foreign policy
to a dialog with the world,
including the enemy.
More Raps under http://www.davenport-stories.de
