the corioblog

Cyrano de Bergerac was the first rapper.

What?

Most rap is the singer bragging about their accomplishments. The most frequently bragged about accomplishments:

• The ability to compose verse on the fly.
• The ability to seduce women with the aid of said verse
• Proficiency with a weapon

Cyrano was accomplished in all of this, before the year 1900.

It is a very fun book, though not one it’s really possible to take seriously. The Brian Hooker translation wonderfully captures the spirit of the verse; I recommend it.