Did Wordsworth know about poppin'?

Me: R____, [one of my students] I want to use some rap lyrics in class for studying poetry. Do you know which artists have clean lyrics?

R___: [laughing and looking at me in disbelief] You want a rap artist with clean lyrics? G___, do you know any rap artists with clean lyrics? [G___ smiles and shakes her head] D____, you know rap better than me. Ms. Pullin wants to know a rap artist with clean lyrics.

D____: [chuckles and give me his shy smile] Clean lyrics? Well, Ms. Pullin, there’s explicit, and then there’s not as explicit. The radio mixes are better than the original lyrics.

R___: How about R&B, Ms.Pullin?

Me: Ok, who’s an R&B artist you would recommend?

R___: Chris Brown. Look up some of his lyrics.

[R___, D____ and I google Chris Brown lyrics, and they suggest the song Poppin’. I read through the lyrics.]

Me: Um, ok. These seem to be clean. What does “poppin’” mean?

R___: You know, Ms.Pullin. [breaks into dancing]

Me: Got it. What about this word, “crunk.” What does that mean?

D___: Well, Ms.Pullin, that’s like, come on, let’s crunk.

Me: Ah, got it. [I lift up a quick, silent prayer: oh please god, please let “crunk” not be an explicit word.]

So, yeah, we read Chris Brown’s “Poppin’” in class. Some highlights:

She throwing her hair

She working them jeans

She talking that talk just li, li, like I like it

She keep it on and poppin’

Shawty keep it on and poppin’

That and William Wordsworth. They had a hard time understanding him but tried to flow it, and I helped them with his language. I had difficulty understanding the Brown, but they helped me out. They have also promised to teach me how to crunk (and yes, I know what the urban dictionary says the definition is, but it’s different in this context). So, we’re all learning.