Most people today aren't really messing with Shakespeare. But Shakespeare can be dramatic, hilarious, and wild when the right people are doing it! Like Rappers!
Rappers deal in poetic language, flow in interesting rhythms, confidently project a persona, and craft compelling deliveries for a living! They know how to add swag to great poetry to make it exciting!
I've been a rapper and an actor most my life, even traveled the country on a bicycle performing one-man Shakespeare scenes on the streets (True Story. Learn more about that here!) So I know a lot about Shakespeare and a lot about Hip-Hop and in my opinion it'd be dope to see some rappers go for it on stage and bring Shakespeare's stories to life . So I cast some rappers into some of the great Shakespearean roles, just for fun. Check it out.
Let's Start with:
A Midsummer Night's Dream
As You Like It
Hamlet
The Henriad (Henry IV pts. 1 +2 & Henry V)
Julius Caesar
King Lear
Macbeth
Much Ado About Nothing
Othello
Romeo & Juliet
Richard III
Taming of the Shrew
The Tempest
Send me some feedback!
Which of my castings do you disagree with? Which are right on the money? Do you think rappers would be good at Shakespeare? Why or why not?
I'm actually making a hip-hop album now about the adventure I took traveling the country bringing one-man Shakespeare It's a crazy, true story, and I'm making some bluesy, funky hip-hop music about it. Learn more about that and support here!
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