Gangsta Rap

Benjamin Zephaniah

Not afraid of controversy, Benjamin Zephaniah’s work as a poet has been described in many ways.  “If you can see poetry as a tree with many branches and oral poetry as one of those branches, then a leaf on that branch could be Dub Poetry. Dub poetry has its roots in Jamaica and is closely linked to Reggae music. Sometimes we dub poets perform solo, at other times we may be accompanied by a couple of drummers and at other times we may have a 9 piece band with us, but even in solo performances you should be able to hear its music.

Dub poetry is political, no one made this rule, that's just the way it is and poets like myself, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Jean Breeze, Oku Onuora and Lillian Allen all worked in community groups which gave us our first audiences. At the time this was a great thing, there was a poem with every manifesto or constitution and a poet on every demonstration but then the poetry began to appeal to a much larger audience and we went out into the world to preach to the unconverted…Every branch on the tree is important but it must be said that oral poetry has a much longer history and has closer links with the masses than much of the poetry that is published by the multinationals and what has always excited me is the fact that there is no expert editor telling you what they think will work, you know how it works immediately, the public tell you. The feedback is automatic and it really is a great feeling to hear hundreds of people chant along with your poem when that poem has never been written down.”

Based on Benjamin's own troubled experience of school and the music business. Gangsta Rap last book introduces us to Ray.

Ray has given up school. He sees no point in education and despises authority. And then he has no choice about school as he is excluded. But Ray also has troubles at home, which means he has nowhere to stay and ends up sleeping in the local record shop, owned by his friend Marga Man.

Ray and his friends attend a Social Exclusion Project which means they can develop their music skills. Marga Man gets a record deal for them, and they become local heroes. But another rap band takes a dislike to Ray's music and gang warfare is the result.