Hip Hop Speaks to Children by Nikki Giovanni

Giovanni, Nikki. Hip Hop Speaks to Children. Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks, Inc, 2008.

ISBN: 9781402210488

Hip Hop Speaks to Children is a compilation of poems that are written in a rap or hip hop style.  This means that the poems are intended to be lyrics.  They are written and performed with a unique rhythm and beat which is accomplished through phrasing and rhyme.  For this reason, the intended rhythm is often easily deciphered by reading the poem alone.  Nikki Giovanni introduces the collection by giving a background to the cultural underpinnings of rap and hip hop.  Giovanni explains that during the time of American slavery, slaves were not allowed to learn reading and writing, as a result, sermons were taught by a method named “call and response”.  The cadence and rhythm were integral to committing the bible stories to memory.  Rap songs imitate this form of “call and response” by harnessing a unique beat and rhythm in order to tell a story that can be easily shared and remembered.

People Equal by James Berry

Some people shoot up tall.

Some hardly leave the ground at all.

Yet—people equal. Equal.

One voice is a sweet mango.

Another is a nonsugar tomato.

Yet—people equal. Equal.

Some people rush to the front.

Others hang back, feeling they can’t.

Yet—people equal.  Equal.

Hammer some people, you meet a wall.

Blow on some people, they fall.

Yet—people equal.  Equal.

One person will aim at a star.

For another, a hilltop is too far.

Yet—people equal.  Equal.

Some people get on with their show.

Others never get on the go.

Yet—people equal.  Equal.

The rhythm in this poem is unmistakable.  After reading the first grouping, the form that the poem is intended to take is obvious and the reader will continue with the cadence throughout.  The meaning of the poem is expounded through each grouping: people retain equality while being different.  The poem does not use complete sentences or proper grammar.  However, the writing does not detract from the meaning and reader understanding of the poem. 

If I were introducing this poem to a classroom, I would first let the students read it alone.  As the rhythm is the most important part of the poem and its brand, I would want to see if the students could hear it on their own.  Then I’d read the poem to the class aloud, with the wrong rhythm.  “How’d that sound?  Why?”  With these questions, I’d encourage the students to tell me how the poem gives clues to its cadence.