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Pedro Morais
Mr. Owain Phillips
English 9A
19 May 2014
Pel in 1564
Would Shakespeare be a playwright if he was alive in modern times? Most
people would say yes, but recently, many people have been making a different
connection: Shakespeare would be a rapper. It might seem crazy, but the similarities
between Shakespeare and hip hop are much more than meets the eye. Shakespeare
and hip hop are similar because of their extensive vocabulary, similar syntax, because
both are a reflection of reality, and because both are fonts of knowledge.
Shakespeare and hip hop have similar vocabularies and syntax. A research was
recently made by Matt Daniels, in which he analyzed the number of unique words in the
first 35,000 words of Shakespeare and various hip hop artist's works. Surprisingly,
Shakespeare was barely above average with 5,170 unique words; the artists with the
most number of unique words were the various members of the Wu Tang Clan, who
averaged at 5,895 unique words used, and Aesop Rock, with an amazing 7,392 unique
words (The Largest Vocabulary in Hip Hop). Shakespeare is already considered to have
an excellent vocabulary, and yet compared to these artists, his is just average. Even so,
many people fail to recognize that many rappers are actually educated and
knowledgeful individuals, recognition that is definitely given to Shakespeare.
Shakespeare and hip hop also have many similarities in their syntax, one of
which is the rhythm of rap and the iambic pentameter present in some of Shakespeare's
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works. While this might seem like a minor coincidence, British rapper Akala proves
otherwise. In a TED Talk entitled Shakespeare and Hip Hop?, Akala was able to rap
Shakespeares famous Sonnet XVIII, without any changes and in two different tempos.
He was able to do this not because he practiced, but because the iambic pentameter
matched perfectly with the rhythm. Because of these seemingly minor but significant
similarities, Shakespeare and hip hop have similar syntax.
Hip hop and the Bard both reflect reality in their works. Many people argue that
Shakespeares Hamlet is one of the plays that most reflects reality. The play deals with
issues like revenge, betrayal, and what is right or wrong. These problems are not only
from the time period in which the play was written, but remain even today, and are still
the fueling fire for many discussions. Likewise, many hip hop songs talk about real
issues, but ones we have in modern times. A prime example is the song Gorgeous, by
Kanye West, in which he raps: Face it, Jerome get more time than Brandon/ And at the
airport they check all through my bag/ And tell me that it's random. Kanye is talking
about a recent issue: racism. In the first verse, he is mentioning how african americans
get more jail time than caucasians; in the second and third verses he is talking about
how they check his bag on the airport just because he is an african american. The jail
time issue might be more dated, but the airport incident is very recent. By talking about
real and palpable problems, the Bard and hip hop bring themselves closer together.
Shakespeare and hip hop are also fonts of knowledge. Shakespeare is known to
have been a very knowledgeful man, with many studies claiming that he had profound
knowledge in the fields of law and medicine. He is said to have a deep and searching
understanding of law and a mature legal philosophical mind, because his extensive
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use of legal terms is completely accurate and because he uses legal terms as
metaphors(Shakespeares Knowledge of Law). Regarding his medical knowledge, he
shows complete knowledge of various medicines, diseases and even poisons; an
example is the poison used by Romeo to kill himself in Romeo and Juliet. Hip hop is
also a font of knowledge. Akala, the rapper mentioned earlier, talked about how hip hop
is an art full of knowledge, in a TED Talk he recently presented. First, he talks about the
roots of hip hop, explaining how it was used in ancient African tribes by artists called
griots, who passed on cultural, spiritual and historical knowledge using music similar to
hip hop. He then proceeds to show the reflection of this in modern hip hop, explaining
how important it is to rappers brag about and demonstrate their knowledge in their
songs, using as an example the song Twelve Jewelz, by Gravediggaz, with a solo by
rapper RZA(Shakespeare and Hip Hop?). Here is a part of RZAs solo in Twelve
Jewelz:
The pre-existence of the mathematical, biochemical equations
The manifestations of God, Earth, Air, Fire and Water
Which are in it's basic formation, solid liquid and gases
That caused the land masses and the space catalyst
And all matter that exists and is dense.
RZA shows an excellent knowledge of science and the formation of the universe.
Because Shakespeare and hip hop artists use knowledge to write their works, their
works are fonts of knowledge, and are therefore similar.
The Bard and hip hop show a frightening similarity in their vocabulary and syntax,
their reflection of reality and in being fonts of knowledge. Because of this, it is safe to
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assume that if William Shakespeare were alive in modern times, he could very well be a
rapper. Even if he was still a playwright, his plays would be extremely different. After all,
as time passes, the cultural tendencies of the world change drastically. If one is still not
convinced, all he has to do to change his mind is think backwards. Pel would definitely
not be a soccer player if he was born in 1564.












Works Cited
Gravediggaz. 12 Jewelz. The Wu Elements, 1997. CD.
Kanye West. Gorgeous. Kanye West, 2010. CD.
"The Largest Vocabulary in Hip Hop." The Largest Vocabulary in Hip Hop. Web. 25 May
2014. <http://rappers.mdaniels.com.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/>.
"SHAKESPEARE'S KNOWLEDGE OF LAW." Shakespeare Oxford Fellowship. Web. 25
May 2014.
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<http://www.shakespeareoxfordfellowship.org/shakespeares-knowledge-of-law/>
Shakespeare, William, and Harold Jenkins. Hamlet. London: Methuen, 1982. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. New York: U Society, 1901. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Sonnet XVIII. ederland: La Socit Anonyme, 2012. rint.
"TEDxAldeburgh - Akala - Hip-Hop & Shakespeare?" YouTube. YouTube. Web. 25 May
2014. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSbtkLA3GrY>.