Shakespeare is revered for the universality of his themes that break geographic and class barriers. Even after 400 years, high schoolers everywhere can’t seem to shake his presence. His works are avidly studied and his themes manage to show up in the most unexpected places. The bard’s 16th century writing might seem like the furthest thing away from hip-hop but lately I’ve been hearing references to complex Shakespearean characters in very clever ways.

Frank Ocean’s blond kicks off with “nikes”, a multilayered track that explores superficiality, ulterior intentions, systemic failures, lost love—and that doesn’t even cover it. With such lyrical density, I completely glossed over the line “You must be on that white like Othello” upon my first few listens. This is probably one of Frank’s classic triple entendres, but it seems to evoke the imagery of the beast with two backs and plays into how the woman’s intentions are so far fetched.

Denzel Curry channels the complexity of Hamlet head on in “SWITCH IT UP | ZWITCH IT UP”, a track hat explores bipolar disorder. The entire album stylishly explores the dichotomy of two selves. In this track alone, Denzel keeps flipping the lyrics and his flow. He starts the first verse off contemplating suicide with “to be or not to be? Hamlet, I’m lit”. Inarguable one of the most famous Shakespeare lines, Denzel seems to be referencing Hamlet’s own mental illness expressed throughout his soliloquies.

Lastly, SZA’s “Child’s Play” is a pleasant (and disheartening) walk down memory lane. Her lyrics take the listener back to simpler and happier times in a relationship, back to “how I used to was”. She expresses very mature themes such as jealousy and contempt using barbie dolls and street fighter. SZA compares the relationship’s finality as “…Desdemona, Othello and tragedies”. She is relating her relationship to this Shakespearean tragedy where Othello goes insane with jealously and kills Desdemona. Truly tragic indeed.