This is great. It doesnt come from any region in England. The book analyses British society through Daley's experiences of British life as a child and later as a rapper, founder of the Hip-hop Shakespeare Company, a campaigner and a writer. Youll recognize this as Sonnet 18. I never expected this. And one element of hip-hop was always knowledge. Award winning hip-hop artist, education activist and author, Akala received an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes in June 2018. BARBARA: Well, and thats the irony, too. This was to show how people are still affected by his work and are still writing like him. And so people would gather. Akala compared how hip hop lyrics are just like Shakespeare's work by saying lines from each and making people guess whether it was hip hop or Shakespeare. You know, youre being poetic but at the same time youve put these very serious constraints on you but what the iambic pentameter, I think, gives you, it makes it a lot easier to memorize and as weve now discovered, you know, we can see that over modern music is a pretty good way for a person to learn how to flow. This culture needs more like him My level of appreciation for Shakespearean plays went up a few notches after listening to the play on a rap beat. But its a dangerous point of reference to think that people suddenly started making music under the condition of enslavement. Begin typing your search above and press return to search. @Truth Hurts I think my comment got caught by the spam filters, because it had a few links to outside of youtube (it was on NPR), and it will have to be manually approved by the person who uploaded this video. That was great! We should teach Shakespeare because it could teach our future generation ways into how these texts, visuals, and themes, can connect to our life experiences or tragedies. AKALA: Right, completely different atmosphere, completely different style of beat. He has been co-opted as being just for people who speak in a particular way but there was no RP (a form of English pronunciation associated with higher social classes) in Shakespeares times! You know, so some people get confused there. Thank you! I can't believe they didn't clap after he did 12 Jewels. What kind of name means "messenger"? And thats what great culture does. Hip-hop Shakespeare brings together several strands of Akalas own life: his music, his knowledge of theatre (his step-dad was Stage Manager at the Hackney Empire) and the huge value he places on education. He is incredibly clever, even picking the name akala, a Buddhist word meaning "immovable" and in "dat boy akala" there is a line that says "my name means you can't move me" I like little things like that! You are blessed with knowledge and you speak wise words. BARBARA: So, what is it about iambic pentameter that does this? You wont always be able to pick up the rhyme. But the evidence from his recent trip to Jamaica contradicts this. I really do enjoy his intelligence expressed in his passion in hip hop. I always recognized that hip-hop had a range of expressions. So, for example, Felipe Fernndez-Armesto, the great, you know, historian from Oxford University, he has a book called Millennium. BARBARA: Well, what when you do that exercise, then, what misperceptions do you find that people have? And so if we take, say, jazz and we bring it all the way up to hip-hop, we talk about Congo Square. There was a study that found the most preserved form of the Elizabethan English accent was in the most isolated areas of Appalachia due to being cut off from the evolution of society for so long. BARBARA: So, youre talking about the work that you do with The Hip-hop Shakespeare Company. I didn't feel like sitting in the canteen on my lunch break, I felt like making better use of my time. Even an acclaimed Shakespearean actor like Sir Ian McKellen can't always answer correctly. I mean and a lot of even some of the Shakespeares most famous stuff, the opening of Romeo and Juliet, you know, two households both alike in dignity, that is iambic. If Biggie Smalls told a story like that, people would say, why is he glorifying violence? Its for me, BARBARA: Well this is politics. a feeling of resentment. Miles Davis, of course hes a genius. Its similar with hip-hop. Tes talks toAkala | Tes Magazine So, I think, like I said, theres a lot of proeven Received Pronunciation. Garland Scott is the associate producer. You look at the end of a Shakespearean text and theyll be the word mood and blood. And youll be like, why have that in there? AKALA: I was not born under a rhyming planet. Mansa Musa I, the ruler of that kingdom is, you know, many economists estimate the richest human of all time. You know, Ovid, Pluto, the Bible. BARBARA: No. He is more Shakespeare than Shakespeare himself. Dive deep into the worlds largest Shakespeare collection and access primary sources from the early modern period. Since hearing Shakespeare I've checked him out and feel I've missed alot of his knowledge for alot of my life. Should we teach Shakespeare in school anymore? - The Writing Post AKALA: A hundred percent. Thanks. What are we teaching young people? Maybe its food for the spirit. Amazing, educative and inspiring!!! And a lot of people still have the belief that thats all kind of hip-hop has to contribute, has to say. Shakespeare had them bars tho he is one of the G.O.A.T. prologue reading and questions.docx - Course Hero I'm a teacher, and my students and I love this performance. What does Akala say is the main thing that hip hop and Shakespeare share? I'm laughing because everyone here is teenagers trying to do their English homework edited: LMFAO I DIDNT THINK THIS MANY PEOPLE WOULD SEE THIS AHAHA guys i got a 100% on this assignment so can you haha, yo brody send the assignment for mans bless. Previous: Creating TNTs Will| Next: Shakespeares Kitchen. . Sleep is the cousin of death. I heard every single word. William Shakespeare is regarded by many as the greatest playwright of all time and the most important author in the development of the English language. Following on from his bestselling nonfiction, Natives: Race & Class in the Ruins of Empire, the BAFTA and MOBO award-winning artist, writer, and social entrepreneur has made his first foray into . They saw it as strong not weak. So, if someone, you know, if youre an artist who wants to write a verse that you can go into a cipher with and be confident that whatever beat that the DJ puts on you can flow with it, the pentameter is a great rhythm to do that. Akala - Shakespeare Lyrics | Genius Lyrics And just as children from the Windrush generation didnt always receive a satisfactory education, so the precociously talented Akala had his own problems at school. Your making things up. One reason sometimes put forward is that there is something in Caribbean culture that devalues education. [CLIP from Akalas track, Comedy Tragedy History]. And you could take any verse of Shakespeare thats in iambic pentameter and you can put it on most regular 4/4 hip-hop and you can put it on most of what we call in the UK grimeits a very transferable rhythm. [Verse 1:] Nigga listen. And performance, you know, go I think for me, culture is has I unapologetically see culture as a tool for liberation, for people to come together, to better human society. His intellect and use of word is breathtaking. I'm new to Akala. Disturb. Akala makes the point that it's hard to distinguish between hip hop and Shakespeare when . Music is imitating the rhythm of life what an intelligent perception, his lectures are intellectually rich. I mean he was not Oxford. But usually if you know something and already like it, you will clap more compared to if you didn't know it. I am mind blowing with this tedtalk rap!! Reading the Excerpt. You know, sometimes when I ask young people, for example, I say, where, you know, where does black America music come from? Im gonna say thats not Shakespeare. Theres lots of stuff that doesnt rhyme anymore because the accent of English has changed. You know, he went to a grammar school. AKALA: No, absolute pleasure. AKALA: Youd be like, forget it. So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. I remember hearing the odd song from him when I was younger. I have a problem with that being the only voice that cuts through and being seen as the dominant perception. AKALA: Yeah, I dont have a Dostoyevsky one, but its all right. It wasnt allowed to be in the city because it wasnt considered proper by the religious establishment of the time. Hip -hop or Shakespeare? is a challenge that Akala puts to lecture audiences including eminent Shakespeare scholars. Raw like the Ball of Brazilians. School was fraught with contradictions and challenges for me despite my academic abilities. Since 2009, under the auspices of his "Hip-hop Shakespeare Company," Akala has . All rights reserved. Well what happens when you hear rappers rap in French or in Brazilian Portuguese or inI went to ZimbabweShona. I dont no, definitely not. -DJing -MCing -Break dancing -Graffiti art -Knowledge 5.) 20:11 - 20:15 PDF Teacher: Why I don't want to assign Shakespeare anymore (even though he #1 Universal appeal. Maybe its hatred I spew. This podcast episode, The Poets Pen Turns Them to Shapes, was produced by Richard Paul. AKALA: I think theres a lot of different things and it depends where you are. SonicHits. From award-winning theater and music, to poetry and exhibitions, experience the power of the arts with us. You listen to Chinese music and be like, I cant tell it apart. the messenger tells leonato, governor of messina, that the men are returning from battle. Wheres this mountain of evidence? You listen to a song like Preacher and the Bear., [CLIP of the Golden Gate Quartet singing The Preacher and the Bear.], Lord, look here, you know you delivered ol Daniel from the lions den.And you delivered three Hebrew children from the fiery furnace, and then. so happy to find akala. Wed really appreciate your help. So, we can play you the Golden Gate Quartet, who are a gospel quartet. So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. So even if they dont make it as a basketball player or footballer or whatever, they come out of it with a degree.. If youre not an expert on jazz or on classical music, it can all sound the same till you get into it, right? As someone who grew up listening to KRS-One and Lauryn Hill and The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron and that whole incredible tradition of the music of the African diaspora in America, for me, I never had that problem. Why might Akala say that we should teach Shakespeare? i havent been on this thread in ages. Yes!! So, with that in mind, it makes sense that he's taught in school. *Hint: look up the names.*. Thats right folks. BARBARA: I still dont recognize that line from Shakespeare. Which side has better arguments for Shakespeare being taught/not taught Got linked here through an article on decolonising shakespeare and one rabbit hole later. damn Akala's good. This man is awesome. BARBARA: Okay, that I didnt know. And so its that I want people to take away the fact that cultures there to be enjoyed. So, when you understand this context, when you understand the type of instrumentation in West Africa, it becomes much more easy to explain how these musical cultures were created in the Americas. Then he talks about rhythm and the 'iambic pentameter'. Maybe you don't like it, but don't degrade the genre to say that its "an excuse for people to say whatever they want with total impunity", because its not. phillip watson age. But anyway, this video was quiet interesting! interfere with the normal arrangement. Menu. He became part of the elite in a way. Wow love that! Shakespeare was a masterly adapter, and his work is largely based on borrowing and interpretation. Like playing being a virtuoso classical pianist or playing violin or being a great actor. From the Folger Shakespeare Library, this is Shakespeare Unlimited. AKALA: Yeah, its political, a hundred percent. [CLIP from the Sugarhill Gangs Rappers Delight], So after school, I take a dip in the pool, which is really on the wall.I got a color TV so I can seethe Knicksplay basketball.Hear me talking bout checkbooks, credit cards, more money, than a sucker could ever spend. That ones actually from Much Ado About Nothing. The most recent episode in the Folger's Shakespeare Unlimited podcast features British poet, rapper, and educator Kingslee James Daley, who goes by the stage name Akala. I have a or so-called. So we give people all different sorts of verses to show how versatile Shakespeare was and how much he experimented across his career. You know, it can appeal to you. Learn more about William Shakespeare here: He claims that they share rhythm. And in the UK, Shakespeares very, very political. However, the Shakespeare of this generation will undoubtedly have a knowledge of Hip-Hop. When asked if teachers can use hip-hop to connect students to Shakespeare, she said, "Students can use . AKALA: Yeah, well, I mean they think they know it. Maybe its hatred I spew. Shakespeares characters are the best ones are all imperfect. There was a long tradition of gathering at Congo Square on a Sunday and when we understand this griot tradition and the drums and call and response and African polyrhythms and everything that came before it, we can literally plot a line through jazz and blues and gospel and reggae music in the Caribbean up to hip-hop. I mean I deliberately when so when I designed this exercise, I deliberately obviously didnt pick certain instances from Shakespeare with line. BARBARA: The horrible ones are the interesting ones, yeah. Lyrics, Meaning & Videos: That Boy Akala, That Boy, -That Boy Akala-, Dat Boy Akala, That Boy Akala (Pure Exclus 2006), Akala - That Boy Akala, The Edge, Akala - Shakespeare, Akala feat Low Deep - That BOy Akala. Coming soon, maybe, who knows? So if artists wanna learn how to make stuff rhythmic that doesnt rhyme, you think of Hamlet: What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving. It's because of the musicality of the rhymes and the flow, it eases the memorisation, and this is partly why hip-hop is so great. Akalas dedication is enabling young people to retain their love of learning and benefit from educations life-enhancing effects and making it cool to be clever. Thank you for your service honey <3. This guy is smart asf! I am one that I sometimes am critical of mainstream hip-hop and the violence and the misogyny and whatever else. AKALA: And spending time with him and hearing him rap, in Brazilian Portuguese, I was like, the rhyme is not the same. What I would hear audibly as a rhyme in English isnt exactly what a rhyme is in Brazilian Portuguese. I mean its listen, I dont like to embarrass people but we did a workshop, one of our launch workshops. They need more exposure. AKALA: Yes, it was, because my step-dad was the stage manager of, you know, to be crude, Londons equivalent to the Apollo. People dont spend 30,000 sending their kid to Eton to get the same quality of education kids at state schools get, do they? "Musicality was central to . Show all results: Artists. Nasir Jones. Why might Akala say that we should teach Shakespeare? Hamlet is not his story. You have the commercial, the mainstream hip-hop which is commercialized and its mainly put out by these large corporations, again, primarily historically probably white owned and operated. But they didnt see being smart as separate from being a tough guy. You think of Shakespeares best characters. Hip Hop Shakespeare 4. They raise questions of morality, politics, war, wealth, and death. If rapping was so easy, wed all be Nas, right, or wed all be KRS-One or wed all be Lauryn Hill. OMG my theatre arts teacher showed this to us in class last year. I went to a school in one of the roughest parts of Trenchtown basically a war zone and the kids had higher aspirations than the average state school kid in England. BARBARA: This reminds me of this wonderful presentation that you do which shows the relationship between iambic pentameter and how it fits with hip-hop and the rhythmic relationship between the two. The point is youre supposed to get them wrong, which well discuss in a minute. Find the lyrics and meaning of any song, and watch its music video. There wasnt we didnt actually program any Shakespeare there. But also to show that theres still a rhythm in it. Materially corrupt,Spiritually amuck,Oblivious to the cause,Prosperously bankrupt.Blind leading the blind,Guilty never defined,Filthy as swine,A generation pure in its own mind. Songs. Whereas if I play you Lauryn Hill performing it on MTV Unplugged, immediately youre like, I didnt understand half the words. BARBARA: I was not born under a rhyming planet. The enlightenment of knowledge is a moving force. Its invocations and music. Turns out you can't syncopate every word lol. He became very wealthy. BARBARA: I mean he was rewriting and borrowing and. BARBARA: What do you want the takeaway to be for your audience? So, even that in England people think, Shakespeare was posh, which, again, is a, you know, a statement of class and a statement of that way I was just talking. Ppl have the RIGHT to like what they likeat least classical actors aren't disrespecting women nor any other living creatures. @Tiffany Summers He is perfectly clear. Absolutely gripping. We possess the speech.Draw for your sword and settle your quarrels.Draw for your sword orSee to it your knees meet and greet the ground,Bow! Akala, one to watch out for!!!! I used to not like hip hop but I do now, and I completely agree with you. Wait quietly for instructions. Id like to read it. BARBARA: Now, you said even when you then change the rhythm its fine. You know, hes not do you know what I mean? He wasnt, you know, top of the top. (Not relevant to radio "rap"). Would love to see more of Akala on TedxTalks :). He also does this again with another backing. A very interesting talk. Feel free to go check out Mongomery's book, A Dictionary of Smoky Mountain English, he's written other things but that one should suffice.Since youtube doesn't want me to link it, google "Shakespeare's Accent: How did the Bard really sound?" Im saying what Nas rapped about was profound and incredible. . It was low culture, it came from the ghetto, that it was fake classical music, all this other stuff. Akala: Why we need more black, working class period drama This is heavily raised class. Big up Akala and the intelligent movement! Shakespeare was a master in creating characters rich in personality and traits. BARBARA: Was it performance first for you? This man is here to expand our minds Looking for a cogent paradigmThe way he spits lyrics and can instantly sampleThose who dont understand want a good example. BARBARA: Okay. signature forgery detection using image processing; montgomery county texas sample ballot 2022; . Akala admits to having some sympathy with the idea of streaming by ability, despite this being a view associated with those well to the right of his own politics. They are quite bland. Maybe cause they are bloody brilliant, lots of them. Akala is on another level! AKALA: There was a it has echoes of Hamlet. Skespeare wrote in the 1600s. Not just to a persons ability to get a job but to their emotional and psychological wellbeing. swift's a modest proposal what seem to be the only options for the children of beggars when they grow up (3)? You dont have to like Shakespeare and you dont have to like hip-hop, either. TEDx + Akala = Best entertainment! So, for those who dont know what that is, Im gonna do my BBC accent now. French Louisiana was one of the only places in the Americas at that time where enslaved Africans had a day off. 6. After this he talks about the medieval empires of Western African and how they had people who were the custodians of the history and cultural and spiritual traditions and were often musicians. Why might Akala say that we should teach Shakespeare? What a miracle. Hardison Poetry Reading Series and workshops, Our virtual book club inspired by Shakespeare and our collection, Read and learn more about Shakespeare's plays and poems, The First Folio (the book that gave us Shakespeare) and what came after, From playhouse to film sets, explore four centuries of staging Shakespeare, Find out about Shakespeare's life in Stratford and London, See manuscripts, paintings, costumes and more from the Folger collection, Resources and activities for young children and their parents, An accessible and immersive way to teach students about any kind of literature, Get full access to the latest resources and ongoing professional development, From live webinars to on-demand content for educators, join us, Access lesson plans and activities for the classroom, organized by play, Read and search the complete works of Shakespeare for free, All kinds of programs for all kinds of students, From printed works of Shakespeare to rare materials from the early modern period, Researcher registration and reference services, Find out about our scholarly programs and fellowship opportunities, Use our online catalog to search the Folger collection, Access our digital image collection, finding aids, and more, Get answers to your questions about Shakespeare, our collection, and more, Unlock more of the Folger with a membership, More options for how to make your donation, Our campaign supporting the building renovation project, Help keep the Folger going and growing for the next generation, A celebratory evening to benefit the Folger. I dont think it has the same ring. the outer limits or edge of an area or object. O'Brien said that Shakespeare has been adapted to different times in history since nearly the moment he wrote the plays, and calls the trend to bring hip-hop and Shakespeare together a great one. You know, if youre 12 how would you understand the fact its even called the Mystery of Iniquity or RZA, 12 Jewelz, hes gotta rap about physics, right? I'm a high school English teacher. Agreed! Have some answers, fellow students!Shapesphere abd Hiphop shares: Rythem, 5 sets, 2 beats.Rythem or music imitates the "heartbeat of life".With Hip Hop, "the way you are saying it" is just as important as what you are saying.A misconception of Shakespeare is that he spoke posh and was for the rich. With iambic pentameter examples from Shakespeare, Akala Gets Real On Capitalism And Economic Exploitation, Shakespeare's Ghosts and Spirits - Professor Sir Jonathan Bate FBA CBE, Akala at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Akala highlights The Racial Bias And Stigma With Mental Health (Recap), Akala: Football, Music & Politics | Music HISTORY, The Shakespeare strategy | Brad Berens | TEDxBergen, Reaction to Akala - The Journey ft. Mic Righteous. AKALA: And it isnt. He then goes on to show how these oral traditions influenced a lot of music styles from jazz, funk, blues to hip hop. Folger Shakespeare Library. The only differencesometimes iscultural understanding.. without knowledge, how can you understand? Listen on iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or NPR One. I wish she showed us more of him. Thank you. This is why most rappers are usually very creative with their own words because they create vision, practice, and imagery. This video is truly awesome! Whos watching this because your teacher assigned it to you????????? He then goes on to explain how many people who often criticize hip-hop dont actually understand it. But they never vanished,Made it through the middle passage,Never gave up the habit,Passing on the stories and traditions so that we could have it.I saw as clear as day a griot trapped beneath the deck,Buried in [expletive] and vomit up to his neck,Lying shackled next to his younger sister, already dead,Her own corpse dont even smell no more, cause he has lost the sense.Still we sung the song of the warrior, giving heartTo all the others trapped, rebellion ready to start.That is art:Thats poems that bleed, songs mold historyThe greatest gift ever given, a true mystery.Even when the drum was outlawed on the plantation,She kept beating it and singing in secret and maintainin.I could see the start of the Haitians in revolution,And what did they start it with? Is it Shakespeare, or is it hip-hop? British poet, rapper, and educator Kingslee James Daley, who goes by the stage name Akala, likes to recite a passage and then challenge his audience with this question. AKALA: Its well, (a) its the rhythm of the human heart. For me, its that sense of cultural property, of not being told, You are X. This man has a brilliant mind and a brilliant heart! He got books as Christmas presents every year and his mum Heather studied Caribbean History as a mature student even though she originally came from a rather different group of islands the Outer Hebrides. Grudge. His characters are timeless. AKALA: Precisely. AKALA: How difficult that is to do to make sense, to rhyme, to be semi-autobiographical and to put ten syllables in every single line. Several phrases and terms still used by English speakers today are his creations. AKALA: So, yeah, lets play the first beat. Well, like this. But I heard Shakespeare at the beginning of 2017 and I've been absolutely blown away by it. Shakespeare and hip hop are two similar things.
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