Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef find place in high school English syllabi across US as students 'love the drama'

A new generation of students are learning to appreciate traditional poetry and literature, thanks to the works of Taylor Swift and other artists
PUBLISHED MAY 15, 2024
Drake, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar are getting renewed attention in schools thanks to the initiatives of some English teachers (Getty Images)
Drake, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar are getting renewed attention in schools thanks to the initiatives of some English teachers (Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: High school English syllabus in the US is evolving with a little help from the musical artists of this generation, including Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar.

A new generation of middle and high school students are learning to appreciate traditional poetry and literature, thanks to the creations of contemporary artists.

Of late, several teachers throughout America are using Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ and Lamar’s much-talked-about rap battle with Drake to understand poetry, per HuffPost.

Taylor Swift gaining prominence in English syllabus

English teachers across the country are cashing in on the popularity of Swift’s ‘TTPD’ to inculcate an appreciation for poetry in their students.

Kim Randolph, a seventh-grade honors English teacher in Denton, Texas and a hardcore Swiftie herself, used the album to introduce her students to the works of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and songwriter-poet Patti Smith.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 12: Taylor Swift accepts the Woman of the Decade award onstage du
Taylor Swift's songs are being taught in schools (Getty Images)

Randolph shared, per HuffPost, “The boys immediately latched on to ‘Fortnight,’ but only because they were thinking of Fortnite the game,” before adding, “But that led us into a fun conversation about the word ‘fortnight’ and where they might encounter it in the real world.”

Another teacher from Marshalltown, Iowa, Katherine Mummert went ahead of time and introduced Swift in her course two years ago.

Mummert, an ELA teacher for grades nine through 12 at an alternative high school, introduced the course titled “Taylor Swift and 19th Century Literature: A Comparison of Themes.”

For the course, the students compare Swift’s vast musical canon with the poetry of Victorian poets like Robert Browning.

Mummert shared, “We watch her live performances and music videos and read through the lyrics line by line,” before explaining, “Once we have a grasp on what Swift’s intended message is, we look at a piece of literature from the 19th century that discusses the same thematic topics.”

She shared that students’ favorite is ‘No Body. No Crime’, where they love to compare the song with ‘Porphyria’s Lover’.

Kendrick Lamar gets a special mention

Besides Swift, Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s beef has also garnered unprecedented attention from the young students.

Randolph, for example, not only uses Swift’s album to teach the students literary (and interesting) examples of similes and metaphors, but also makes good use of the Lamar-Drake rap battle as an example of literary battles.

INGLEWOOD, CA - AUGUST 27: Kendrick Lamar attends the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Au
Kendrick Lamar's beef with Drake has received significant attention (Getty Images)

Randolph shared, “Middle schoolers love drama, so this is right up their alley.”

Recently, in a widely circulated TikTok, a high school English teacher, who goes by the name @stillateacher, opened up about the effects of the feud among the students and shared the students are convinced of Lamar's win.

The teacher shared, “They were ready to throw down for Kendrick,” before adding, “I have students who hate reading who are doing the most meticulous close reading of these lyrics that I have ever seen. They’re finding subtle quadruple-entendres [in Lamar’s work] and explaining them eloquently to their peers.”

MORE STORIES

The post Khloe Kardashian liked featured Charlie Kirk speaking with a fan at an event about his devout Christian faith
Sep 13, 2025
Whitney Cummings sparked widespread outrage after posting a controversial tweet about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk
Sep 13, 2025
Prince Harry was spotted entering King Charles’s London residence, months after saying his father had ignored his calls
Sep 11, 2025
Rosie O'Donnell said Ellen DeGeneres’ friendship denial hurt so much she printed T-shirts for her staff reading, 'I don’t know Rosie, we’re not friends'
Sep 10, 2025
A post alleged that Karoline Leavitt called Patti LaBelle 'just a singer,' leading LaBelle to deliver a seven-word response that froze the studio
Sep 10, 2025
Jennifer Lopez feels free channeling emotions into music, but Ben Affleck is embarrassed and sees it as crossing a line, according to the source
Sep 9, 2025
Howard Stern added that he missed last week’s show due to illness, not contract talks, and addressed rumors of being fired from his own show
Sep 9, 2025
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement in August 2025 triggered a wave of pregnancy chatter after an ultrasound photo went viral
Sep 9, 2025
Ed Sheeran, 34, revealed that he was leaving Suffolk with his wife Cherry Seaborn and their two daughters, Lyra and Jupiter
Sep 9, 2025
From Ice Spice’s chaotic corset to Paris Hilton’s flame dress, see the celebs who landed on the worst-dressed list at the 2025 VMAs
Sep 8, 2025