On Spanish rap

Rap is a funny thing. Last fall, my advisor wrote a book on Spanish poetry in the aftermath of the 11-M train bombings, and she had to include a chapter on rap, because it really is a contemporary version of poetry. She noted that Spanish poetry (and most traditional forms of poetry) is structured around the syllable, whereas rap often includes LOADS of syllables stuffed into one beat (that's what makes it so hard to sing along to).

Last Friday, I was walking with friends around the center of Madrid, and we stumbled upon a rapper (sponsored by RedBull) trying to break the world record in freestyle rapping. His name is Arkano, and by the time we reached him, he'd been rapping for 6 hours straight. I cannot even fathom talking that long, let alone trying to spit out rhymes to a beat.

I have to admit that his lines were a bit non-sensical, but it was pretty fun to watch him keep up the beat. I have no idea whether he succeeded in his challenge or not, but I hope he did.