News at Eleven: In fact, [Derek] Walcott sees intriguing parallels

between the social commentary of contemporary rap artists and the social satire of 18th century poets like Alexander Pope or John Dryden.

"You have to rhyme with rap. You're doing the same thing as a heroic couplet, with the addition of doing it to music. Certain things fulfil themselves because they're human instincts. Why should satire be in heroic couplets, in rap, as much as in Alexander Pope? Because the couplet summarizes, it emphasizes, it economizes."

" Da da, da da, da da, da da, da dat/Da da, da da, da da, da da, da dat," he chants. "That's a natural couplet instinct, to criticize anything, because of the rhyme."

from Edmonton Journal: A study in poetry and plaid

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