Muhammad Said Jiddan Walta 11 L

Hip Hop & Shakespeare

Akala & the Hip Hop Shakespeare Company
For the following quotes, choose whether you believe the quote is from Hip Hop or Shakespeare.

1. “To destroy the beauty from which one came”

Hip Hop Shakespeare

2. “Maybe it's hatred I spew; maybe it's food for the spirit”

Hip Hop Shakespeare

3. “Men would rather use their broken weapons than their bare hands”

Hip Hop Shakespeare

4. “I was not born under a rhyming planet”

Hip Hop Shakespeare

5. “The most benevolent king communicates through your dreams”

Hip Hop Shakespeare

6. “Socrates' philosophies and hypotheses can't define”

Hip Hop Shakespeare

7. Akala makes the point that it's hard to distinguish between hip hop and Shakespeare when the context
& perception is taken away and you're left with the “raw language of the two art forms.” Do you
agree with this statement? Why or why not?
I agree with the statement, because as described by the quotes above, the complexity of hip hop lyrics rival those of old
Shakespearean lines. The thing that normally sets them apart is the beat of music and how the words are read out in hip hop music,
and once that difference is removed, hip hop lyrics and Shakespearean lines become oddly similar and difficult to tell apart.
8. What are some of the things that hip hop and Shakespeare share?
Hip Hop and Shakespeare share the idea of rhythm, which is the interval in which a recurring pattern occurs. In this case
it is the rhythm in how the words of lyrics and lines are pronounced, in the way that there is a pattern on which syllable is emphasised.
9. By writing in iambic pentameter, what did Shakespeare enable his rhymes to do?
By writing in iambic pentameter, Shakespeare enables his rhymes to fit over any musical beat that shares the same rhythm.

10. What does Akala call iambic penameter (he says to place your hand over your heart in order to feel
it)?
Iambic pentameter is a two-part rhythm in which the first sound is unstressed while the second sound is stressed, just like how the first part
of the heart’s beat (the ‘lub’) is relatively unstressed compared to the louder ‘dub’ sound of the ‘lub-dub’ pattern of heartbeat.

11. Akala makes the point that iambic pentameter often acts as a mnemonic device-- something that helps
readers to remember the words easier. Do you think putting words to a rhythm enables you to
remember the information better? Why or why not?
I believe that putting words to a rhythm helps the words become remembered better, because it allows our minds to associate the information
with another object, therefore allowing the brain to have one extra pathway to remembering the information. When we can’t remember the
content, our brains can try to remember the associated object, the rhythm which will then lead to remembering the content. But for me personally,
having a song or beat associated to things I need to remember is helpful but not by a lot.
 12. In hip hop, Shakespeare, and real life, what you say is just as important as... ?
The way you say it, the mood that you bring as you say it, and the rhythm of how you say it

13. When Shakespeare was alive, did his plays sound the same way they do now? Give an example to
prove yes or no:
It would not sound the same way since English pronunciation of words in Shakespeare’s time is different from how pronunciation
is in our time. For example, the word ‘hours’ would be read ‘urrs’ during Shakespeare’s time. Other words also received pronunciation
changes or fixes over the years as language evolves.
14. What does Akala mean by the term “a custodian of knowledge”?
An person of great intelligence who shared his life experiences and knowledge in hopes of influencing, educating, or helping others.

15. Why do some people take issue with Shakespeare being a “custodian of knowledge”?
Shakespeare was a person who didn’t go to the prestigious universities at the time (Oxford or Cambridge). Back then, people who
deserve to be called a custodian of knowledge would have to be a product of the formal education and universities.

16. Quite literally, what does the term “Hip Hop” mean? Hip Hop meant “intelligent movement”.

17. The fifth element of hip hop is _______________________.

knowledge

18. In the medieval West African empires, a griot is a member of the community who does what?
A griot is a rhythmic oral poet, singer, musician, custodian of history and tradition of that culture.

19. Most commercially successful rappers boast about what two main things, according to Akala?
Most commercially successful rappers boast about how clever they were, and at the same time boast about how life was
in New York City at the time.
20. What does Akala say is one of the most inspirational things about hip hop?
Hip Hop was fundamentally made when people, without changing who they are, decided that they were going to educate themselves,
become custodians of knowledge who were going to share this knowledge through music even though they were told not to.

21. According to Akala, hip hop and Shakespeare share one great power. What is that power?
Both share the power of lyricism, the power to transmit philosophies and knowledge; the power to make people question
the world.

22. The success or failure of societies in the 21st century will be dependent on what?
21st century societies’ success will be dependent on the mind or the ideas of the people within that society, whether people are
taught and encouraged to think as big as they can and to reach their full potential.

23. Akala states that hip hop and Shakespeare share “a unity in human culture, a unity in the ideas that
humans pursue; and to inspire people towards their own form of artistic literary, cultural, & societal
excellence.” After watching this video, do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
After watching the video, I agree with that statement. Both Shakespeare and hip hop (in its original and true form and intention) seek
to inspire people to educate themselves with knowledge to reach their full potential. Akala mentions that what determines the success
of societies will be the mind and the knowledge of the people. I believe that knowledge and the pursuit of ideas unifies people
across all cultures, in the way that everyone no matter where they come from could be inspired to educate themselves to reach excellence
when they come into contact with intelligent lyricism found in both hiphop and Shakespeare’s plays.