Although it sounds like an attention grabbing headline, there are some interesting observations from this release by 8th Avenue Communications.

1. “… rappers are the voice of this generation on account of intuitively understanding the tools behind good speech writing”
2. “The tools that make rap so communicative and catchy are not new. Rappers intuitively used the exact same methods – alliteration, repetition, rhyme and meter – that Churchill and Kennedy used”
3. “Rap music is the language of change, which is exactly the purpose of giving a speech: to stimulate change.”

Here’s the full press release:

Did President Obama learn public speaking from rap music?

By 8th Avenue Communications
Dated: Dec 01, 2009

An Australian corporate communications agency has suggested that United State’s President, Barak
Obama, could have learned public speaking by listening to rap music. The site posits that rappers
intuitively understand the tools behind good writing.

An Australian corporate communications agency has suggested that United State’s President, Barak
Obama, could have learned public speaking by listening to rap music. The site posits that rappers are the
voice of this generation on account of intuitively understanding the tools behind good speech writing.

The article was posted on the website of 8th Avenue Communications. The director, Andrew
Mendelawitz, who wrote the article said, “The tools that make rap so communicative and catchy are not
new. Rappers intuitively used the exact same methods – alliteration, repetition, rhyme and meter – that
Churchill and Kennedy used.”

The article also posited that Obama’s allure springs from his ability to use figures of speech that are both
rap-like and sermon-like, which deeply resonate with a varied audience.

Mr Mendelawitz said, “Today’s leaders have forgotten the language of leadership. Obama’s speeches are
penned in the language of the black, the young, the religious and the disaffected, and for this reason he is
followed with messianic vigour. Revolutionaries don’t come in the form of a Martin Luther King Jr. these
days – they more often choose to communicate change through rap, blogs, or other means.”

“Rap music is the language of change, which is exactly the purpose of giving a speech: to stimulate
change.”

“Political leaders now speak in diffident corporate-speak that sounds evasive and weak. It doesn’t resonate
with anyone and those using this circumlocution will never be seen as leaders. If you want to resonate with
a Spaniard, speak Spanish: if you want to talk to the masses, use the language of the masses.”

Source

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Thus, when aspiring rappers talk about getting rap dictionaries to make rhyming a bit “easier”, I naturally balk. A rap dictionary is literally ‘cheating’ in my book. It kills the very soul of the music. It says, “I have no skills or interest in working hard to be a rapper. I just want a quick fix solution that will make me semi-famous”. Such a hack mentality can’t take you very far in the rap game.

Of course, I’m not saying that you need not consult a dictionary at all. A strong vocabulary is, after all, a cornerstone of rap. But for that, I would really recommend a regular dictionary over a rap dictionary. This is for the reason mentioned above, and because rap dictionaries tend to be very genre specific and lack the killer words that can make or break a song.

Most importantly, if you follow the rap dictionary too closely, you will start sounding like the hundreds of other rappers who took the advice of the dictionary. Instead of sounding original and fresh, you will sound like another soldier in an army of rapping clones. Surely you don’t want such a reputation to be associated with you or your art.

The best rhymes involve words that are complicated and are not commonly found in most rap dictionaries. Longer words with more syllables make for great rhymes, but are unfortunately missing in such dictionaries.

Try this out: pick up a dictionary (a regular one) and write down a dozen words you have never even heard before, let alone know the meaning of. Make sure that they are multiple syllable words such as “megalomaniac” or “metamorphosis“. Try to find ryhmes for these words and include them in your song. You will be surprised how the includsion of a few such words can make your song stand out completely.

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5. The Official How To Rap Manual For Aspiring MC’s