Run DMC no poets

Reverend Run from legendary hip hop outfit Run DMC has lost his bid to become Poet Laureate. The rapper was one of 75 people competing for the prestigious title in his local neighbourhood of Queens in New York.


Reverend Run, real name Joseph Simmons, was not surprised by Friday's announcement of the winner, admitting that perhaps people are not ready to accept rap as a form of art. "I don't know if Queens is ready for a rapper as a poet," Simmons said.

His application created a stir in the fine arts community, which rarely legitimizes popular music as an art form, let alone hip hop. But Simmons insists that over the years he first wrote his lyrics as poems, which were later set to music.

To qualify for the title of Poet Laureate in the borough, applicants must write in English and had to have lived in Queens for at least five years at some point. A Korean-American woman, Ishle Yi Park, was announced as the new winner for her work ‘The Temperature of This Water'. She also appeared on Def Poetry Jam, run by Simmons's brother, hip hop mogul Russell Simmons. She will hold the title of Poet Laureate for three years.
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