Poetry Craft Lesson

Into Poetry

Hip-Hop: Reference & Allusion

Works:
“Dr. Carter” by Lil’ Wayne
“Royal Flush” by Big Boi, Andre 3000, and Raekwon
“Can’t Tell Me Nothing” by Kanye West
“One Mic” Nas
“This Is Why I’m Hot” by Mims
Chapter 25, The Wadsworth Anthology of Poetry, ed. Jay Parini

Teachable Terms
POETRY RHYTHM TERMINOLOGY
Verse
Meter
Foot
POETIC FORMS POETRY TERMINOLOGY
Stanza Alliteration
Refrain Allusion
Rhyme Assonance
End Rhyme Consonance
Internal Rhyme Conceit
Feminine Rhyme Hyperbole
Slant Rhyme Metaphor and Simile
Denotation and Connotation
Tone
Poetic diction

Purpose
The purpose of this lesson is to have students understand and begin to
identify the players in the wider community of poems and poets.

Procedure
-Listen to the Stanzas 1 & 2 of Lil Wayne’s song “Dr. Carter.”

-Distribute the lyrics and have students identify any of the Teachable Terms covered
previously. Students can do this in small groups of 3-5
to increase shared learning and discussion. Share out discoveries.

-Define Allusion. Ask students who Lil Wayne alludes to in this song: “All I need is one
mic” (Nas, song “One Mic” / “Gotta stand out like Andre 3K” (Andre 3000 of Outkast)
/ “I graduated / cause you could get through anything if Magic made it.” (Kanye
West, song “Can’t Tell Me Nothin’”)
Poetry Craft Lesson
Into Poetry

-In the second stanza, Lil Wayne references NFL quarterback Vince Young of the
Tennessee Titans he is not making an allusion. He is making a reference to popular
culture. The allusions made early suggest the reader/listener possesses knowledge
of the work of Kanye West, Andre 3000, and Nas.

-EXTENSION: A popular hip-hop song from 2006, “This Is Why I’m Hot” by Mims
makes aural allusions in the first verse of the song. Students with a wider knowledge
of hip-hop will be able to identify the distinguishable beats in the background as
Mims raps about different U.S. regions: New York, “Shook Ones, Pt. II” by Mobb Deep
/ San Francisco Bay Area, “Tell Me When To Go” by E-40 / LA, Compton, “Nuthin But
a ‘G’ Thang” by Dr. Dre / Chicago, “Jesus Walks” by Kanye West

Assignment / Connection
After using this lesson I would have students write 3 “I feel like…” allusions and 3 “I
feel like...” references. To do this, students would need to select 3 different
emotions (anger, sadness, joy, etc) and construct 1 allusion and 1 reference for
each. EX: I was devastated; I had ruined it all. I was Daedalus clenching Icarus’
scorched and melting wings. / I was devastated; I had ruined it all. I was Bill
Buckner’s cursed Game 6 glove.

-Using Chapter 25 of The Wadsworth Anthology, select some poems about poems
that will work with your curriculum. Help students see the respect, erudition, and
sometimes humor built into these poetic sequences.