Lit hop (also Lit-hop) is a hybrid art form that combines themes from traditional literature and storytelling with the music and poetics of hip-hop. The term is sometimes used to describe literature that is influenced by hip-hop music and culture,[1][2] and sometimes used to describe highly literate or lyrically sophisticated hip-hop music.[3] "Lit hop" is also used as a shorthand for any perceived thematic link between literature and hip-hop.[4]
The coining of "Lit hop" is credited to the Canadian writer and performer of turntable-based sound poetry Wayde Compton[1][5] and independently to the Rutgers University professor and novelist Adam Mansbach.[2]
"Lit-hop" is also the title of a 2006 solo album by the Canadian rap artist Baba Brinkman. Canada's Exclaim! Magazine calls it a "boring album title" but praises the album as a "versatile, skilled debut".[6] Brinkman has also attempted to define "Lit-hop" as a highly literate subgenre of hip-hop through his live performances and recordings, including rap adaptations of Beowulf, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.[7][8]
Post-punk Nerdcore rapper MC Lars rapper has used the term numerous times. He uses it in the hook of his song "Flow Like Poe."[9] MC Lars does lectures where he uses modern rap to teach classic literature. During the Covid-19 pandemic, MC Lars used Facebook's live streaming feature to teach literature in a series he calls "Lit-Hop Lockdown Live."[10]
References
edit- ^ a b Jonathan Dale Sherman (22 September 2009). "The Hip-Hop Aesthetics and Visual Poetry of Wayde Compton's Performance Bond" (PDF). Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Adam Mansbach | On Lit Hop". adammansbach.com. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ "Crunk In the Trunk - New South Simplicity Skewers Lit-Hop • Point of View • exclaim.ca". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ "lit-hop | a fresh look at literature and hip-hop". renouvellement.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ "The Tyee – Listen to This!". thetyee.ca. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ "Baba Brinkman - Lit-Hop • Hip-Hop Reviews • exclaim.ca". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ "Rapconteur, Cabaret Voltaire". The Stage. 2013. Archived from the original on 2012-03-23. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ "Music | Baba Brinkman". bababrinkman.com. Retrieved 2014-04-11.
- ^ "MC Lars - Flow Like Poe Lyrics | Genius Lyrics". Genius. Retrieved 2021-03-27.
- ^ "Lit-Hop Lockdown Live" - Episode 1, retrieved 2021-03-28