The Political Resonances of Hip Hop and Spoken Word

Abstract

Spoken word refers to poetic performance that relies on or emphasizes the aspects of its construction that must be heard, rather than read, to be fully experienced and appreciated. Factors like intonation, volume, and audience participation are aesthetic elements that might be of some consequence on the page, but they are central to the construction and performance of spoken word. Any discussion about hip hop’s aesthetic qualities and sociopolitical weight requires substantive engagement with Black spoken word and performance poetry. What follows is an exploration of the political resonances that emerge from interactions – both historical and into the present day – between hip-hop music and Black spoken word performance.