Remember when you were forced to learn Shakespeare in English class? I’ll take your exasperated groans as a ‘yes’.
It was like trying to learn a new language in a year, which is pretty much impossible at the best of times. No matter how hard we studied Sparknotes or how many times we sat through Baz Luhramann’s Romeo and Juliet, the phrases just wouldn’t stick.
Now, there’s a new and more exciting way to brush up on classic literature. Re:Shakespeare is a new app that remixes Shakespeare plays and hip hop. The app is hosted by the 10th Doctor Who, aka David Tennant and features Shlomo, Akala and Indigo as they give you helpful tips by beatboxing or using lines such as “Sleep is the cousin of death”? That’s Nas, not Macbeth.”
It also includes a 360-degree look at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of ‘Much Ado About Nothing’. The idea behind the app is to get teens interested in the work of the bard. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s director of education told the UK’s The Telegraph why this is important:
“It’s trying to capture the imagination of young people who might have a preconception that Shakespeare is boring and irrelevant, and actually have them discover or rediscover that this language is potent and political and powerful. Powerful just the same way that a lot of hip-hop lyrics are: language is power.”
Of course it’s true there are similarities between rap and poetry. In fact, many rap and hip hop artists consider themselves to be the poets of the 21st century. The genre itself has its roots in spoken word, and can be as beautiful and have verses of beautiful words that can really have an affect on people. They are made to inspire and teach their respective enthusiasts about different issues in the world. So why shouldn’t these worlds collide?
Download the app from Google Play and see if your flow is as good as the man himself.