I was just listening to Talib Kweli’s album, The Beautiful Struggle
Yo, I heard it’s said the revolution won’t be televised
But in the land of milk and honey there’s a date you gotta sell it by
Otherwise it just expires and spoils
I especially enjoyed those lines. The whole song is great and the album is worth getting, in my opinion.
Talib Kweli has also performed spoken word on Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry
What do you think?
I recently received a message from the Rhythm Club Director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maryland searching for guest judges and participants for the a Rhythm Club Show and Poetry Slam that they will be hosting in Southern Maryland on May 17, 2008. Namely, he wants to get in contact with a few artists that may be able to help.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maryland is a non profit organization that serves the youth of the Southern Maryland area by providing a safe place for the communities youth to spend their time in a positive environment. The Club’s mission is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. The Club serves a very broad group of youth made up of boys and girl of all races, religions, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
If any of you experienced spoken word artists or poets will be or could be in Southern Maryland at that time, leave a comment and I’ll send you the contact information. It seems like a great opportunity to do something very helpful.
I just found out about a cool hip-hop website. Rapartists.com contains lots of information, news and media related to rap music and hip-hop. You can talk about hip-hop on their forum, look up information about your favorite rap artist, and more.
They have some nice top 10 lists for songs, artists and albums. They also list new releases. You can register on the website for free.
As a website, rapartists.com is well-designed and easy to navigate.
Overall, it is really a great website for anyone interested in rap.
Here is something I wrote today about judging hip-hop music based on the mainstream rappers who go on about sex, violence, and money:
Commercialism and art never mix well, in my opinion. That’s why the type of music, be it hip-hop or not, on the radio, on MTV’s TRL or on BET’s Rap City is not generally considered high quality. It is to music what McDonald’s is to food. It’s meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator. I do not mean to insult mainstream art or those who produce it, but I just mean to point out that it is meant to appeal just enough to large groups, but not to be artistically deep or beautiful. From a commercial standpoint, it is preferred to have a whole lot of people like your work a little bit than to have a few people love it a lot. What sells is sex, violence, money-talking, and light-hearted fun; and that’s true not only for music, but for movies, books, TV shows and so forth. And that’s fine because every so often we all like to sit down and watch a relatively superficial but fun movie or go to the club and dance to some silly new song.
From an artistic view, the greatest art is generally not the most popular, mainstream or commercially successful.
What do you think?
I was recently informed about this video about Marc Bamuthi Joseph, who is a spoken word poet that also incorporates dance.
It seems original to me, which I think is always good with art. What do you think?
I found the following neat video in which Angela Gegg performs her poem entitled Talk is the Topic of Conversation:
The poem has a nice flow. The words fit very well together. And it is short enough that it does not get too confusing. I like it. Who does not like to bash gossip?
What do you think of the poem?
You know I like to tell you about cool websites. Today, I will tell you about 1800Flowers.com which offers mothers day flowers and gifts.
The United States celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May. You can buy a gift quickly from 1800Flowers. They offer not only flowers and plants, but also other gifts such as candy and gift baskets.
They also have some coupon codes out for a limited time:
Mar26 - Save $10 with any purchase
Mar15 - Save $15 with a minimum purchase of $74.99
Mar25 - Save $25 with a minimum purchase of $99.99
Those are some good savings, so I decided to pass them onto you. Their website also has some helpful information, such as a guide to Mother’s Day gift giving.
For internet users like ourselves, it is cool to be able to have a good place to get Mother’s Day gifts.
Sometimes you may have trouble thinking up topics for poems or other writings. I imagine some of the solutions that apply to traditional writers’ block apply to spoken word artists.
Most writers say that it helps to take a break. Sometimes that helps them clear their minds and come back to writing with a fresh mind-state.
Also, you can listen to music, read stories, or watch other spoken word performances. Seeing other work can help inspire you. Sometimes you might notice a great topic. You might also think of your own way to address a certain topic. How many times have your read a story or poem or watched a performance and said to yourself, “If it was me, I would have…”
Of course, there is an important difference between plagiarism and inspiration.
If you one of your own works was heavily influenced by someone else’s work, then it is usually smartest to give credit. Introduce your own poem by mentioning your inspiration.
What do you think?
I have noticed that successful artists are usually willing to experiment. I have to believe that is how they become successful.
The point of art is to express yourself. This is especially the case with spoken word and performance poetry. Do not limit your ability to express yourself by limiting your style.
Experiment with different methods of writing and delivering your poem. Experiment with different moods, topics, and so on. You will find what works for you, but you will also offer your fans more original work.
What do you think?
I like the following spoken word video very much:
The video and music goes with the poem excellently. I love the way he talks to “Big Brother” like an actual person. Maybe I like this poem so much because 1984 is my favorite book. Regardless, the poem has great artistic qualities. What do you think?