Whether rap is poetry is an interesting question, but I agreed more with John's comment that where people no longer know poetry they know song lyrics. I'm appalled when I think of how much of my brain space is full of lyrics, not even consciously learned but ambiently acquired through decades of proximity to a radio. Everything from Etta James to EMINEM. (I'm never good at rote learning things I want to learn, but songs just seep in on their own).
Whether rap is poetry is an interesting question, but I agreed more with John's comment that where people no longer know poetry they know song lyrics. I'm appalled when I think of how much of my brain space is full of lyrics, not even consciously learned but ambiently acquired through decades of proximity to a radio. Everything from Etta James to EMINEM. (I'm never good at rote learning things I want to learn, but songs just seep in on their own).