12/26/10

Julian Curry "Niggers Niggas & Niggaz"

This is a real hard hitting poem that will leave you feeling it's impact long after you've watched it.

Julian Curry started writing poetry in 1999.  Besides receiving the 2003 crown at the Nuyorican, he was also the 2003 Bowery Poetry Club Co-Grand Slam Champion.  His poetry is a glimpse into the inner city, Wall Street, family, and a regular guy’s everyday life.  Originally from the Bahamas, Julian now calls Harlem his home. He has been featured in "Forbes" Magazine & on BET’s Lyric Cafe.  He was also featured on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam.

 

12/20/10

New look to my Blog


Whether your a return visitor or it's your 1st time on my blog site I have taken the time to remove all the hyper links to the video performances of both the artists I am showcasing and of my own as well and have embedded the videos within the blog.

This will allow you to watch the videos right on my blog site from within the posting.  If you have been on my site before and are a return visitor please take the time to check out the new look and re-visit some prior blog posts.  If it is your first time on my site then enjoy the new look.  It has taken me endless hours but the new feel and look is worth it.  Hope you think so too.

12/17/10

Shihan "In Response"

You can find Shihan's bio in the Oct archives along with his video of his piece "Flashy Words."  This piece "In Response"  has always been a fan favorite but until coming across it today the video had been taken off the internet & youtube.  Obviously coming across it meant, it was time to post another performance by the one & only Shihan.



12/16/10

The Father of Poetry Slams

In 1985 a construction worker and poet named Marc Smith (slampapi) started a poetry reading series at a Chicago jazz club, the Get Me High Lounge, looking for a way to breathe life into the open mike poetry format. The series' emphasis on performance laid the groundwork for a style poetry and performance which would eventually be spread across the world. In 1986 Smith approached Dave Jemilo, the owner of the Green Mill (a Chicago jazz club and former haunt of Al Capone), with a plan to host a weekly poetry cabaret on the club's slow Sunday nights. Jemilo welcomed him, and on July 25, the Uptown Poetry Slam was born. Smith drew on baseball and bridge terminology for the name, and instituted the show’s basic structure of an open mike, guest performers, and a competition. The Green Mill evolved into the Mecca for performance poets, and the Uptown Poetry Slam still continues 18 years after its inception.

From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Slam Poetry: “Slam poetry is the brainchild of Marc Smith (So What!) and the blue collar intellectual eccentrics who crammed into the Get Me High Lounge on Monday nights from November 1984 to September 1986 for a wide-open poetry experience. Finger-poppin’ hipster Butchie (James Dukaris) owned the place and allowed anything to happen, and it usually did. The experimenters in this new style of poetry presentation gyrated, rotated, spewed, and stepped their words along the bar top, dancing between the bottles, bellowing out the backdoor, standing on the street or on their stools, turning the west side of Chicago into a rainforest of dripping whispers or a blast furnace of fiery elongated syllables, phrases, snatches of scripts, and verse that electrified the night.”


12/10/10

Lost Count: A Love Story

Powerful would be a colossal understatement to describe this performance by 18 year old Nate Marshall & 17 year old Demetrius Amparan featured by Brave New Voices, which depicts the epidemic of teen violence that is crying out for national attention in Chicago.

Brave New Voices was created by Youth Speaks, Inc in 1998 after the inaugural Youth Speaks Teen Poetry Slam in San Francisco—the first poetry slam dedicated to youth in the nation’s history.  Brave new voices can be found at bravenewvoices.org.  See Nov archives for prior blog post on Youth Speaks.

 

Asia "The Waiting Hour"

Asia’s gripping words have never been less than an honest and genuine testimonial to his life.  His uncanny ability to combine humor and inspiration while provoking thought and self-reflection has won audiences all over.  Ranging from crowds as intimate as 40 to crowds as energetic as 1000, he delivers all of himself each time, making sure never to skim on what many have testified as one of the most jaw-dropping shows they’ve been fortunate enough to witness.. But it wasn’t always this way... In the early months of 2006, Asia faced a battle with cancer.  In the post-cancer years, Asia has been featured on Russell Simmons’ HBO Def Poetry, was named 2006 Performer of the Year by the Association of the Promotion of Campus Activities, took 1st Place at the 2008 Southern Fried Poetry Slam Championships with his team MinoriTEAM and many more.  Asia has had the privilege to perform with great musical artists such as Mos Def, Jill Scott & DMX.  You can find him currently hostsing at Mello Mondays.


12/8/10

My night at Black on Black Rhyme

It's been a major goal of mine to perform at Tampa's Black on Black Rhyme open mic night in Ybor City.  I've been intimidated to go & perform in front of a crowd that mostly belong to the beautiful culture that took poetry & turned it into the phenomenon that has become Spoken Word.  It is African Americans claim & rightfully so.  They have brought it into mainstream America with a force that could not be stopped or silenced.  As a result it has spread & reached a vast diversity of individuals now getting up & performing this prolific art.  I am currently taking acting classes in Ybor City the same night as their open mic so my excuses were getting slim.  I received a message yesterday that Jeaninne "Zaire" Kayembe, a featured artist in Russell Simmons HBO documentary "Brave New Voices" would be the featured poet.  She is a gifted Philadelphia resident who has found true and authentic "Spoken Word" while trying to save at least one person each & every time she performs with her words & spirituality.  As I sat alone shaking quietly in my seat waiting to hear when I would be called up I finally heard the host get on the mic & state the following: "Next were going to have Jeanine from Brave New Voices get up and drop one quick on you followed by Scott Compton."  My first thought was ohhh shit!  I'm going on after the featured artist, who Russell Simmons hand picked to be in his 2008 documentary.  Quickly with a smile that thought turned into, it couldn't be more perfect.  To be respected as the artist I want to be I have to get on stage & perform with the best.  Once it was my turn I just let loose & brought it with all the passion & fire I have.  The love & reception I received from the crowd was amazing.  The most beautiful thing about art is once you get up & bare your inner most core everyone stops seeing the image/race you represent but instead the gifted & beautiful artist that you are.  I was sitting alone like a quite out of place white boy, as I jokingly like to refer to myself, prior to performing & afterward people wanted to shake my hand, some embracing me with the one handed shake leaning into the hard felt slap on the back the way "Men" do & asking for my contact info.  Proud to say I rocked the mic at Tampa's longest running open mic night "Black on Black Rhyme" & have been asked to make sure I become a regular.

Link to Jeaninne "Zaire" Kayembe

Link to BlackonBlackRhyme.com

12/1/10

Time to Rise

As a nation do you feel these days our pride is showing, as people are we growing while our administration seems fine not knowing the direction we are going.

Leadership with a weak direction will and has become an infection affecting society into each and every single home.  

This isn't an anti government speech, I'm not here to preach but just looking for people to reach.  

We are becoming a nation wounded, which is a strong conclusion my psyche is having to face that I'm not willing to replace with these idealistic illusions my government keeps feeding me from an unrealistic podium in which they stand...  What became of One Nation for which I stand.

I see.. maybe we learned that to far back in elementary school when we would recite our pledge to the flag.  I felt incited empowered standing tall proud with voice aloud.. right hand firmly pressed against my chest.

This wasn't a test this was us as children at our best.  This was true American pride it seams we are slowly setting aside.  

We are still spending billions in Afghanistan & Iraq, while there are daily deadly attacks on soldiers our Nation will eventually turn their backs.  

Two wars at hand no one taking a stand, as we prepare our withdraws leaving behind our flaws.

Let me ask you.. do you truly believe we were fighting for freedom?

It's becoming far to easy, almost kinda sleazy to turn our eyes from the wars, the poor and the outstretched hands of the unemployed.

We are a Nation off track, leadership we lack and I'm just looking to rise up.. and take it the fuck back.

Copyright © Scott Compton 2010