By basic definition, it's all one and rap cannot be separated from poetry.
Poetry is the ordinary stated in an extraordinary way.
Jennifer Blackman, my first poetry mentor, spoke of painting word pictures and using paper as canvas. Many elders have questioned the validity and quality of rhymes available to today's listener, but one must always sift through loads of bad poetry before tasting the good. Whether one is dealing with visual art, music or literature, good art, regardless of the genre, is usually outweighed by bad. Open-mike readings are open to anyone and just may not be the place to bring expectations of discovering the next Gwendolyn Brooks. Optimists assert that it is not the quantity of quality poets that should be the focus, but the fact that poetry is prospering, living, breathing and touching the lives of everyday people.