Over a hundred years before Big Sal or Dr. Saucy Pandagrass existed, there was a French writer named Alphonse Allais who transcribed the thus far earliest true example of the poetic verse known as 'holorime' in which entire sentences rhymed with each other and not simply one or two words within (more early examples may exist but none that I can find reference to). Not many poets of any age have ever really been known for massive amounts of rhymes, but the few that exist showcase a skill hundreds of years before rap ever came to be.
Even most rappers today pale in comparison to some of the greatest poet rhymers to ever do it, and as proof, I request anyone reading this to compare the diction, rhyme, and overall literature-relevance between Alphonse Allais's verse, and any one of Eminem's greatest rhyming couplets (pick any you wish and the point remains proven). Most if not ALL rappers rely on metaphorical comparisons as their strongest suit for delivering punchlines. Very few rappers explore literary devices beyond simple structuring of rhymes, and/or metaphors and similes. A car that literally goes so fast that its engine can explode doesn't really suffice as a war ambulance, or an off-road vehicle, or anything other than its specific niche. The greatest vehicle is versatile and can fulfill multiple roles at once - not simply showcasing its coolest feature as proof of superiority. I'd rather have 4 tires than one Sirius radio any day.
Every rap fan will love to tell you their own Top 10 list of their favorite rappers and why they think they are the greatest - yet very few actually judge solely on lyrics. When you surpass a rapper on lyrics, they then complain that you need stage presence. To me, lyrics should be the first and foremost reason you listen to modern musical compositions - unless you are into instruments and stuff in which case more power to you. Commercial rap has been dumbed down to such an extent now that most if not all the popular rappers now have that Kanye West/Drake/Lil' Wayne nasally-ass annoying pitch of voice when they rap. They all sound like carbon copies of one another, and seriously more of them are richer than you or I will probably ever be. Auto tune and shitty lyrics make a bankable combination if you are willing to dance to the tune they set.
When I was a kid, it used to piss me off to see so many popular rappers get away with shitty lyrics and still praised as masterpieces. Like, how the fuck can someone hustle for over 10 years and still not make a dent in their industry, while some dipshit can come along with colored dreads and face tats in one month and suddenly they are marketed to the ends of the Earth? When I was a kid, rappers used to be frontmen, gangsters, fathers, teachers, and bullies. Now the famous ones are pedophiles, rapists, snitches, and pussies. This American society is comfit to sustain the status quo as long as their monkeys dance to the tune. The second that string is cut and the curtain falls - gunshots are heard as the bodies hit the floor on the last hall of freedom of expression.
In lieu of getting ahead of myself on another tangent, I will simply steer the conversation back by saying that now with 2020 literally days away - the poetry industry needs to support its authors like its authors support it. Community is not created by want, but by need. I began in this poetry and literature industry in January 2016 after seeing my country torn apart by mass campaigns of misinformation and deception. I knew if I died that year that all I wanted to be able to say was that I contributed my voice that year to what I always promised I would. I advocated from the soapbox I created for myself, and all my tunes fell on deaf ears for near 2 more years. . .
Fast-forward to August 2018, I was marketing myself on this UK poetry blogging site called Write Out Loud and trying to make a name for myself by getting more work read and disseminated. For my first 6 months on that site, I struggled to break the pretentious mold held by ageist elites intent on squashing my dreams from reality, very few people took notice of my work. This site also picks a Poem of the Week every week, and I never once won that mediocre honor until I created a fake account and posted a different style of poem (after I was banned of course). That day I literally proved that they only gave the Poem of the Week to their favorites or new accounts and they actively sought to diminish my accomplishments. When I announced my intention to become known for my work - I was discouraged continuously. When I tried to self-promote my poetry books - I was told I had offended so-called 'friends' by pushing my own stuff. When I tried to create the Temple of Indomitable Poetry on the site to get authors helping each other and contributing to charity - my followers were told I was trying to steal money from them. When I told another poet that his feeble attempts of a Saturday Rhymer's Club were 'childish' - I was banned from the website.
Holorime was not something I set out to do when I first became a writer. I first wanted to be a rapper, and was influenced mainly by Eminem and Mike Shinoda from Linkin Park to do so. I went all out for years, made multiple mixtapes, invested my time, did everything I could and stopped trying to be a rapper the day I walked around my town trying to sell my mixtapes. I came to this old man's house and knocked while explaining my music endeavors (I had a corrugated box full of dreams at the time) and he straight up gave my $5.00 but refused the CD as he didn't like rap but he felt sorry for me and said 'keep making that honest money'. Although the lesson was well-received, it also hit like a ton of bricks since I saw that I was more likely to be paid as a beggar than as a rapper (my knowledge of marketing was minimal at best). I stopped buying music equipment but never stopped writing rhymes. I simply kept books and journals full of rhymes and as a freshman in high school I decided to write my first book of poems entitled "Vexillarius of Man", about 45 poems or so of varying topic and FAR from holorime. It took another 10 years before I actually refined my poetic skill into being able to formulate holorime. My goal through all this was to be better than the best (which to me at the time was Eminem), so I ensured that I refined my skill to a point where it had rhythm, rhyme, and reason - but still no formal structure.
I always have believed that other poets in this industry are often hostile to me because I can do what they can only read about. I never aim to be arrogant, but if I can lift a box I sure as hell won't lie about it. I also believe that due to my lack of formal knowledge on poetry and structure when writing, an inkling tentacle of envy seems to root itself in their psyche due to such. I didn't come into this industry to make friends; I came to form allies. I didn't come into this industry to get rich; I came to make money. I didn't come into this industry to be told I couldn't; I came to take it over.
Now at the feet of 2020, I am set to take the poetry world by storm with the official first anthology of the Temple of Indomitable Poetry releasing sometime, the Rock Off Rhyme Tournament I created is taking a foothold and is helping create a genuine community that acts on the books they say they'll buy, and so much more! I love what I do, and if you love what you do, do it for free. I will write rhymes until the day they put me in the ground, and selling books does not change that.
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