[Editor's note: Flavorwire is counting down our most popular features of 2010. This post comes in at position number 8. It was originally published September 2, 2010.] If you’ve read a magazine in the past few years, you’ve probably encountered the fiction writer’s lament: America, they say, no longer has room for literature. Google is apparently rotting our brains. Flashing screens everywhere feed us a constant glut of infomercials, video games, Snooki’s hair poof — what literary figure can compete with that? But the decline of the printed word has seen the concurrent rise of a different kind of wordsmith: the rapper. The work of hip-hop artists might be collected on mixtapes instead of in weighty tomes, but in both games, lyrical dexterity and a nimble wit are key. To put this all in perspective, we’ve determined the 20th century literary doppelgangers of 10 top rappers.
Big Boi = William Faulkner
Now, Wild Bill Faulkner never had a partner quite as prolific or snappily dressed as Andre 3000, but both are regional figures that transcended their subject matter — in both cases, the South — to earn national recognition. Both paved the way for other Southerners in their respective fields, ushering in the ages of Southern literature and Southern rap. They’re both darkly eloquent and utilize the same fictionalized cast of characters repeatedly: for Faulkner, the Snopeses and the Compsons, for Big Boi General Patton and Sir Lucious Left-foot. Plus, Big Boi’s lyrical prowess often falls into the same modernist, stream-of-consciousness voice that made Faulkner famous. Just sayin’.
Comments (67)
Kanye West=Dave Eggers.
Also don’t ask me to back this up but Jean Grae= Joyce Carol Oates.
Don’t like Minaj on Stein so, yeah, that’s about right.
Big Pun = Junot Diaz – Dominicanness aside, there’s a raw, unrepentant energy that flows in the lyricism and the prose.
[...] of going out and putting some shine on a list of undiscovered writers, they did compile this great list of famous rappers and their 20th-century literary counterparts. We absolutely love the Weezy-as-Nabokov comparison and are hoping that it turns into some huge [...]
Easy E = JD Salinger?
You spelled “Nabokov” wrong.
fierce. and you haters, broaden your cultural perspective. you hate because you don’t get the hermeneutic sleight of mind here. keep up…
haha this is interesting
Tupac = Albert Camus – both were keenly aware of their own mortality, the tragic inevitability of violence, prison, and both died untimely deaths. In fact even better might be his 19th century counterpart, Dostoevsky, who shares his verbosity.
Re: Russ Marshalek
In that they’re both insufferable pricks (and that’s why we love them)?
This is fabulous, my fave is Wu and the Beats. Ghostface and Rae truly are poets. Any doubters, check out Nutmeg or Shakey Dog by Ghost, or Pyrex Vision or Incarcerated Scarfaces by Rae. Just unbelievable.
THIS WAS STUPID, PLEASE SPELL NABOKOV CORRECTLY.
Nas=Salman Rushdie
I’ve always thought Eminem was the contemporary version of Poe or some other vivid horror writer. Can anyone think of a literary counterpart for Mr. Marshall Mathers?
wayne/nabokov should be replaced with kanye/eggers. & the dude who came up with that one should be given a job on this site. as for the quality of comparisons in general, unfortunately most mainstream rappers are lame writers. there are emcees who are good writers, but they are not famous for engaging in organized “coonery.” a few on this list are good enough, but for the most part i suspended my need for quality (except in the case of lil wayne, who is overrated in these dark ages of hip hop)& focused on whether or not your reasoning made any sense.
Dead Prez = George Orwell, I can’t believe you didn’t make that connection
So who is the new Marx or Engels then? Dead Prez maybe, or Promoe. Or KRS-one.
… do any rappers make that grade?
DMX = Jean Paul Sartre
foxy brown = simone de beauvoir
You little fools, it’s Vladimir Nabokov. Is it so difficult to check the wikipedia before publishing this? This blog really fell in my eyes after seeing this.
Eminem=Bret Easton Ellis
To be honest, I feel the only one who fairly earns his title is MF Doom and perhaps Biggie, though to be compared to the literary genius of Hemingway is a step too far.
Coming from a background and being raised in a soaking of hiphop, rap and turntabalism, I must say that any rapper that has been in “the charts” so to speak does not deserve a place on this list. I feel there is no way to reconcile the vast gap between a 3 minute song backed up by music and rhythm and a novel. The vast gap is much too large to achieve any useful comparison between rappers and literary giants.
Not to sound superior or more indie or whatever you may say, some of the work of underground hiphop artists is more reminiscent of the literary greats in relation to exploration of modern day ideas. For example; Sole, Sage Francis, Atmosphere (to an extent), Sixtoo & also Buck 65 (also to an extent) would be worthy of comparison to the beatnicks.
Personally, being an avid fan of both Hemingway and the Beatnicks, I find it quite personal that you compare Biggie with Hemingway and *especially* Wu-Tang with the Beatnicks. The level of similarity is so insignificant you would have just as much to say about my friend group and the Beatnicks, if not more.
Keep in mind that I both respect and adore the music of these artists, however I feel that comparison with literary giants is a step too far for their amount of literature and the extent to which it can be acceptable without music behind it.
Please feel free to discuss this, just my two cents.
Regards.
Will Smith = Stephen King. Can I even go there?
It’s not meant to be a one to one paralell. Biggie’s Dead Wrong does not equate to The Old Man and the Sea. This author based this slant comparison off of theme, lifestyle, regional placement, among other things. This is better than most public schoolers could produce.
Artists and their work are not comparable. Slapping a value system on poetry is pretentious high brow shizz. Btw, this article is racist. Arguing that rappers’ identities as poets are only legitimate if they can be of equal counterparts with predominantly white male poets is pathetic. Why is their work ONLY valid when it can be compared to such? How pathetic. The culture of rap is completely different from 20th c literature/culture. BUT it doesn’t mean it’s any lower or higher. It’s just as valid. The US can’t even appreciate it’s own dynamic subcultures.
@fontgoddess Eminem=Kerouac.
Why isn’t Nas on this list. He was clearly influential to many of these artist (with the exception of Wu Tang, 2Pac and Chuck D). BTW this list is very flawed,”Lil Wayne’s madly clever plays on words. Both have reputations for being abrasive and taunting other rappers/writers with less talent for impressive metaphors”. You have to be fucking kidding me. Ras Kass would run circles around little wayne.
Nas=Joseph Heller
One grade-A number 1 classic and a bunch of other stuff
I think the snobs who were upset at the comparisons don’t actually ever listen to hip hop, therefore are clearly closed minded. Probably can’t even relate to the so called geniuses they’ve studied in their classes. Fun and great list guys, would love to see hip hop portrayed in a more positive and less critical (or satirical) light in media. Although I have to agree, better and more recognizable female MC’s besides Nicki Minaj.
Jay-Z and Thomas Wolfe, perhaps. But never Tom Wolfe, not a very good writer.
Lupe Fiasco = Umberto Eco
I know he’s not a 20th Century author, but…
KRS-ONE = Homer
Lupe Fiasco = Ezra Pound
kanye = dan brown
I thought it was an ingenious concept but was sad to see you left off more influential rappers that contributed more to the genre like Lauryn Hill instead of the Minaj or anyone from NWA to Common to more suitable literary figures like Margaret Mitchell, Maya Angelou, Harper Lee, or even Tennessee Williams.
Why limit ourselves to merely the 20th century?
Mr Scarface = William Shakespeare
Sir Mix-A-Lot = Anthony Trollope
Big Daddy Kane = Louisa May Alcott
MC Ren = John Milton
Kid Cudi = Bret Easton Ellis
Similar fascination with the excesses afforded wealthy youth. Writing reflects loneliness, even within largely interactive social scenes. Sharp awareness of the consequences of such a seemingly desirable lifestyle.
Big Lurch = Maya Angelou
This is beautiful, and the only thing on the internet that I will ever press the ‘Like’ button for.
biggie = hemingway & wu = beats are my favs.
Let me add one more: deltron 3030 = William Gibson
This is beyond parody. The comments too.
Why aren’t their any black literary geniuses on the wall? Surely the content of the black american experience ring more true on both sides, commenting on the relative invisibility in white culture, the tangled web of socio-economic oppression, and of course, the importance of swagger. James Baldwin, Zora Neale Hurston, Richard Wright, Langston Hughes, Zadie Smith to name a few…or were they not on last summer’s reading list?
Everything but the beats section. How is Face is not Ginsberg. Also, you missed the obvious Joyce and Face comparison: Stream-of-consciousness, fam.
Niki Minaj = Lil Kim + Foxy Brown
El-P = Philip K. Dick
[...] Flavorwire compares modern rappers to 20th-century literary giants [...]
[...] famous MCs with famous wordsmiths. Flavorwire got us to thinking with their listicle of the Twentieth Century Literary Counterparts of 10 Rappers. We agree that MF Doom is totally Thomas Pynchon, but we’d also say that Jean Grae is [...]
Eminem = Chuck Palahniuk
I think Chuck D’s nuts has been listening to “Takeover” a few too many times. Seriously, if any rap is as funny as Catch 22 please let me know about it. Illmatic tracks are great but they don’t make me laugh.
wow. not ONE black literary figure? some bullshizz
Immortal Technique = Phillip K Dick
Good Point Rowan. I bookmarked this but was hesitant to actually read until now ’cause I wasn’t sure how much irony or parody was being dealt. Those of you that are interested can do your own Rap/Language/Lit analysis here http://bit.ly/ba9Jhs
[...] This is why Lil Wayne is a lot like Vladimir Nabokov. [Flavorwire] [...]
[...] matches famous rappers with their 20th-century literary doppelgangers with surprisingly apt [...]
[...] * Flavorwire explores a list of Famous Rappers and their 20th-Century Literary Counterparts. [...]
Eminem = Steven King
Both Eminem and King have published a prolific amount of work, often focusing on violence and the negative side of human nature. Both have been ridiculed by their peers and media critics for some of their less moving, pandering pieces. But when you separate the wheat from the chaff, you find some truly amazing stuff (but there is a lot of chaff…).
What a disgrace to some of the greatest literary minds… for their work has stood the test of time; I can’t imagine in 60, 80, 100 years people’ll still be listening to some — if any — of the 10 famous rappers…
[...] you weren’t, but you’ll still enjoy Flavorwire’s “Famous Rappers and their 20th-Century Literary Counterparts.” After all, someone has to compare William Faulkner to BCA headliners. Share and [...]
I thought this article was really cleaver and fun. I’ve actually thought about similar things before because there is a paradigm between rap and literature. Isn’t it all about telling stories? Playing with and manipulating words? Invoking emotion?
My only problem is the choice of rappers. Most of these “pop-rap” artist are horrible writers, nursery rhyme makers, and are commercially manufactured to appeal to the baser desires of the majority.
*AHEM* However, there are a lot of rappers in the underground who I think would have exemplified the heart of what I *think* you are trying to say. Although, some of these comparisons were dead on anyway. I particularly liked the Wu-Tang Clan /beat poets one. LOL!
And yes I know, you can’t pick unknown, unpopular rappers, because that would make it so hard for the snobs to turn their noses up at it. After all how can you be “above” the babbling street monkey if you’ve never even heard of them and have no idea what they are all about.
I’m trying my best to think of one for HP Lovecraft, but I just can’t do it.
talib kweli -norman mailer meets malcolm x
[...] Photo credit: http://flavorwire.com/116312/famous-rappers-and-their-20th-century-literary-counterparts [...]
1. I love you for this!
2. I don’t think Minaj will have the staying power of Stein…perhaps Latifa as or MC Lyte as Sappho? Minaj seems like the low hanging fruit of the bunch.
3. Real Talk, this list should be expanded, vetted, then published. I would buy it, and talk about it at parties. I’ll help!
just sayin…
It’s hard to make a list like this, given that the format leaves absolutely no room for the writer to justify the comparisons. The connections you make seem iffy at best. I wish you could explain them.
That being said, Nas = Alex Haley. They both excel at documentary through literature.
Probably Kool Keith is a better match for William S. Burroughs than ODB–jus’ sayin’.
this is the most ridiculous article i will have read this week and it’s only monday.
Comparing literary gods to hateful idiots is no laughing matter. I guess all the fine arts are dead, outdated by low-class slackers and criminals with no talent except for lowering the standards of “pop culture” taste. Welcome to the golden age of idiocy. Those writers are rolling in their graves.
[...] they they make wacky yet, at times, correct pop-culture connections. My favorite article is still “Famous Rappers and Their 20th-Century Literary Counterparts”. In fact, their Biggie to William Faulkner pairing inspired me to pick up Wild Palms an amazing [...]
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