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