SOCIAL BENEFITS
"They take their poems they've written on a spectrum of topics, from personal to political, and they add a series of theatrical movements. There is shouting, cursing, and voicing of audience approval as poets bring their perspectives to life." (Smith)
Singer, rapper, and actress Lauryn Hill used poetry as way of connection through expression as she performs to express concerns about society and how people can work to overcome them.
Rapper Tupac Shakur began writing poetry as a connection to the community he lived in and experiences he went through. Tupac later emerges as a rapper sharing these experiences through his music.
Rapper J. Cole fuses lyrical poetry to express his personal frustrations with violence, gang violence, and issues personal to him.
Alicia Keys creates songs based on poems. She writes her music with an intention to focus on love, the pressures of women, and the rise of the female sexuality and offers a personal insight to these issues that remain at surface.
According to D'Souza and others, in
"Musical Training, Bilingualism, and Executive Function: Working Memory and Inhibitory Control," evidence demonstrates that individuals who perform in musical backgrounds and have had experiences in spoken word forms outperform others in building verbal memorization and visuospatial cognitive abilities, such as remembering notes, mechanisms, rhythms, words, and timing.
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"Writing is therapeutic because it allows an individual to work through confusing and upsetting feelings in a meaning-making process. Perspectives are shifted from a self-focus to a more socially integrated stand (Alvarez)."
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"Spoken word gives me the opportunity to share the voice that has been silenced for many years. Through my depressing days to my politically angered days, spoken word has given me that outlet to freely express myself in ways I could never imagine. Some of my idols like J. Cole or Tupac fused this light within their communities and I plan to do the same! Being a part of the performing arts community allows for me to share my frustrations and concerns through something I love (Whitelow)."
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"By putting our frustrations in our writing, it helps us relieve ourselves of some of the pressures and issues facing us today." (Smith)