Sometimes, I get so bogged down in concepts within my poems that I forget to make things aurally pleasing. I like playing with sounds--not exactly strict rhyme schemes or meters, but a natural flow in terms of word. I try to ensure that every word, regardless of its complexities, fits the line--everything smooth like butter. You know what's helpful for this? Rap. Sure, topically, there's not much diversity, especially for mainstream rap, but some cats just have raw flows--you're just in the moment of each bar, not really listening to words or their accumulated meanings, but just the sounds. For those who have tight wordplay, those subsequent listens only strengthen the play of sounds, moment after moment of "did he really just say that?" A good thing. This could inform my actual readings, too (if I ever have them)--this doesn't mean I'm going to spit poems like verses, but rapping is all about pacing, so maybe I can tie this pacing into sounds, too. So, currently, my prototypical chair is Jay Electronica's "Exhibit C." I was going to post other songs but, well...rap tends to get very racy. Very.
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