So I was listening to a write-up on Lupe Fiasco’s Hip-Hop
Saved My Life and I discovered a new word: Doggerel.
“Doggerel is a derogatory term for verse considered of little literary value. The word probably derived from dog, suggesting either ugliness, puppyish clumsiness, or unpalatability (as in food fit only for dogs)” –Wikipedia
“Loosely styled and irregular in measure especially for burlesque or comic effect; also : marked by triviality or inferiority” Merriam-Webster.
It’s not hard to know the difference between quality,
innovative, meaningful works of art, and shallow expression that merely touches
a surface. There is a large border
between today’s gangster rap which exploits women and glorifies money, drugs,
and violence, and quality rap, which may include simple, wholesome expression
to conscious lyrics that can get you to think about the complications behind
and consequences of urban/gangster cultures.
In the end, to avoid writing a doggerel rap or a similar
brand of any venue of art, make sure that you put forth time, effort, and
thought behind the concept and the mechanics of it. Try to sound natural,
honest, and to an extent, proper. And
rap, although usually easier to listen to than read, should double-up as a form
of a poem, one way or another. So if the lyrics don’t act or flow like poetry,
you should probably give a re-write a go.
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