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A Poem for REAL PEOPLE

vibing to COMMON'S new album this morning a POEM started to emerge. The Song: #9 REAL PEOPLE was the inspiration for the following MUSINGS....if you get a chance to hear this piece see what it does for You and write your Musings in the COMMENT SECTION....

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for slaves to
the master plan
of bourgeois stars
I stick my pen into
the ink sky
she says
shake the cosmos,
baby,
and let the constellations
fall where they may

for preacher's sons
born under the sign of
Purple Rain and Reagan-omics

All P.K.s go to Heaven, they say
but first theirs the fall
for Bad Black Girls
wearing their brown skin
like Olivia Newton John
wore black leather

for a midsummer night's dream
standing in front of my
bay window with an Uzi and
a necessary means

for the love of
tarbabies stuck in the
stuff of the universe;
black cumulus clouds of a
dark prince's first cuss words
and first Rap song

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YING YANG DEBATE!

A recent debate heated up regarding the Ying Yang Twin's Whisper Song. I was aprehensive on jumping in on the debate. But I believe my dude El Keter said everything I would have said. Alot of what he said hadn't accured to me. What yall think?

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Anyone who denies that the song is catchy and incredibly funky is only fooling themselves.

And honestly, since when is the possibility that something is "offensive" a license to dislike it?

This is just a bunch of frustrated writers trying to flex their college educated muscles by taking a stance on something they think someone like them should have grown up to believe in.

Personally I wish discussions like the ones linked would actually deal realistically with sexuality instead of manufactured sexual politics.

I know more than a few strong, educated, womb-centric ( you can call 'em feminists, womanists, etc... the type of ladies who have degrees in women's studies and who keep bell hooks books by the bedside ) women who will talk some shit in bed that is waaaayyyyy more hardcore than anything the Ying Yang Twins say on "Wait." They don't just want it beat up, they want it murdered. They're not afraid of getting what they want, giving you what you want or talking about it.

Would these "journalists/writers" say they were wrong, or offensive for their sexual desires? For thinking the thoughts they think? For saying the things they do? Would they say they advocate the rape or abuse of women? That they're somehow committing treason to their woman-ness by abandoning themselves to raw emotion and desire once in a while?

Part of me thinks they would. And I think that's why I find most of these writers way more offensive than the Ying Yang Twins.

The song doesn't need to be rationalized. It's a dirty song, with dirty lyrics, and a beat designed to make people do dirty things on the dancefloor. It doesn't even bear discussion.

What does is people's views of sexuality and gender-roles.

And that's something that I don't think anybody is capable of doing in a song, much less a couple zippy newspaper, magazine or blog articles.

El Keter ben TzadikImageyenation Multimedia/Urban Alternatives Crewe-mail: keter@imageyenation.comaol instant messenger: elketerbentzadik

THE POEMCEES / Hip Hop's Next Movement

My dude Wyze wants to hook up and put together a Project consisting of Hip Hop and Spoken Word. Like "Floetry4Niggxs". I'm like Cool but it scares me to think that one day we'll have to rock after the like of the POEMCEES.

The groups POET (r), Black Picasso, is a bangin Spoken Word artist who i saw perform on an bootleg copy of a Late 90's Invitational Slam taped some where in the VA area.

The next thing i know, him and his ace NaturalLaw are rippin it at VA'S Word Up IV Slam 2004. Dj Stylus on the Cut made the Cipher complete.

Then you got to contend with Black Bottom Collective out of Detroit. Yall know i can't stop talkin about them cats.

I'm like Dude, "How the fk we gonna rock after dem" to quote a Black Thought line.

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By now, the World should be hip to the fact that Spoken Word will be the Next Movement in Hip Hop. Common's The Corner only solidifies an Underground trend that's been gaining momentum for the last Five Years. Common and Floetry are just the beginning. Keep your ear to the street for more innovative transformations in the Hip Hop / Spoken Word alliance!

New Endangered Species: Black Book Stores

Kahn Davison (Detroit, MI) gave me the word and now We are tellin' You. Black Bookstores in the D are in danger of Becoming Extinct. This would be Tragic for The Mid West Poetry Scene who depend on independent spots like these to Buy and Sell their Art.

Visit the Message Board for the Full Scoop >>

Khary Kimani Turner SPEAKS!

Cuz we Promised to Feature the Bangin'est (yeah its a word look it up) Poets of the MidWest. BIG BANG's got an exclusive interview with BLACK BOTTOM COLLECTIVE's resident POE-MCEE, Khary Kimani Turner.

Don't Front--U know We got U Open!

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BIG BANG POETRY, Son!: i saw you talking about EM on a VH1 documentary. I was proud to see that a member of the Mid West Poetry Scene was approached to give an intelligent point of view regarding a Hip Hop icon. Ironically, a lot of people don't see the cultural connections between Hip Hop and Spoken Word. People tend to think that Hip Hop heads and Poets don't get along. How does BBC bridge the Cultural divide...if any?


Khary Kimani Turner: I was on Ultimate Albums: The Marshall Mathers LP because I was the first journalist to cover him for a national magazine back in 1997. The producers wanted to talk to a writer with early history on him. It was a cool experience, and a natural conduit to what I do in poetry and hip-hop. In my opinion, the differences between poetry and hip-hop are merely mechanical. One uses music, the other doesn't. One requires more use of meter and rhythm, the other can be much more formless. But it's poetry across the board. Black Bottom bridges that because, in my opinion, few poets are also experienced songwriters. So, when you listen to a poetry album, it's usually a track with a poem on top of it, maybe a chorus added. We wanted the poetry, the hip-hop and song to be homogenous. Fortunately, I've been an emcee and singer longer than I've been a poet. So we're able to pull it off on a regular basis.


BBP: Do you enjoy writing to Music or do you prefer that the Band create music that enhances the Themes and Scenes you've created on Paper?

KKT: I don't play music, but I'm a very musical dude. So I do get involved in the songwriting process, but I try to do it without stepping on the toes of the musicians. It works out well, I defer to their expertise, but they recognize that I have very musical concepts to contributes. We've done songs three different ways. I may come with lyrics and a full musical concept, or the band might write a soundbed together. Or we may all just get in a room and bang out a song in a matter of hours.




BBP: Alot of Performance Poets struggle with the balancing act of Performance and Poetry. Where as, some poets sacrifice the aesthetic nuances of Poetry for the instant gratification from a bangin' Performance. Or Vice Versa. How do you handle it? Have you become more of a Performer now that you are on stage? Do you continue to write for "Self Love" or are you beginning to write more for the People?

KKT: That's an excellent question. Yes, I still write for "selflove" and God, foremost. Even with BBC's reputation, I mess up during performances where I hit the stage thinking selfishly. It's part non-preachy ministry, part performance. Ego screws up a lot of poetry, because it's a humble artform. Poor writing skills also screw it up. A poet who is not a good writer, in terms of mechanics, will not be a good performer. Picture an emcee who can't tell you about the history of hip-hop. Knowledgeable emcees will listen and hear subtle nuances that reveal the deficiency in that character. Poetry is the same. You don't just pick up some shit and write.


BBP: What can people expect from People Mover (I like the reference to Detroit’s Public Transit system, by the way.)? Where does your last Album leave Us and Where does PEOPLE MOVER take Us?


KKT: People Mover is a departure and a growth from Stay Low, Keep Movin'. We used drum programming on much of the last album. This one is a live joint. It's a better representation of the energy you get from our live show. The musicians killed it on this one, because there are no MPC's speaking for them. That, alone, is ill, because it's an actual live hip-hop album. It's a people's album, and it deals with issues that we all confront. Sexuality, alcoholism, love, hate. But the combination of lyrics and live music gives off that feel that you used to get when you listened to your parents old records. That fluidity, that vibe. But now, it's on a hip-hop record. When was the last time you heard a hip-hop record that was not just hot, but alive. That's how I feel when I go back and listen to it. It's alive.

BBP: Do you have any poems u'd like to leave with Us?

KKT:
(a freestyle)
to unblazed trails and
lonely paths
unset sails
dormant math
lives with no clear use for laughs
this one is for you

to wingless birds
broken homes
unheard thinkers
unread tomes
awesome creations left to alone
this one is for you

people...move...

BLACK BOTTOM COLLECTIVE

Diggin on Floetry are U? Like the whole Floecist/Songtress Vibe.

Well, before there was Floetry, there was Khary Kimani Turner and Black Bottom Collective. Khary Kimani Turner is one of Detroits Premiere Spoken Word artists. Combining his Poetry to Live music just Amplifies the intensity of his Words.

Detroit's Black Bottom Collective will be featuring every THURSDAY at Fifth Ave, Royal Oak starting May 26. I can't wait!

WE LOVE PSI RULES PART 1

I'm more of a Slam Afficianado than a Slam Artist. Natural on the other hand is a Slam Junkie who thrives on the competition. Both us, however, see the benifits of PSI's (Poetry Slam International) Slam Rules as a Standard for Poetry Competition.

What makes PSI Rules so unique is that they take all of the best attributes of common poetry slams and utilizes them in a way that benifits everyone. It's easy to see the time and effort PSI took to formulate a system that awards each Poet "fairly" while at the same time keeps "fairness and equity" as open ended concepts uniquely defined by each audience.

BIG BANG POETRY is an avid fan and supporter of PSI Rules in slam competitions. Following Article is part of a 4 PART Essay explaining the rules and why each one works so well.

This is also an opportunity to debate the rules and discuss how some of them can be revised.

Though rules vary from slam to slam, the basic rules are:

• Each poem must be of the poet's own construction;
• Each poet gets three minutes (plus a ten-second grace period) to read one poem, if the poet goes over, points will be deducted from the total score;
• The poet may not use props, costumes, or musical instruments;
• Of the scores the poet received from the five judges, the high and low scores are dropped, and the middle three are added together, giving the poet a total score of 0-30.

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PART 1 : JUDGES

We've seen all kind of Slams. Half Baked Coffee shop slams where you basically just when your 20 dollar entry fee Back [Toledo's Javah House]. University Slams where you aren't judged by your Slam Peers but some thespian American Lit professor who scores you on Intonation.

The worst are those slams that are judged by crowd participation. Amateur Night at the Appollo style. These slams are always carried by some girl who brings 50 of her closet friends and family to Stack the audience.

What makes PSI Rules so unique is that they take all of the best attributes of common poetry slams and utilizes them in a way that benifits everyone. It's easy to see the time and effort PSI took to formulate a system that awards each Poet "fairly" while at the same time keeps "fairness and equity" as open ended concepts uniquely defined by each audience.


PSI deftly sidesteps many of the common mistakes made by most Poetry Slam sponsors. The first common mistake is that in order to Judge poetry, you need to employ some High Rolling Literature buff or some Intellectual Icon of the community. PSI puts this in the hands of the People. They suggest that Slam Masters choose five [5] people directly from the audience to judge the poets from the comfort of their seat.

Why is this so important? The cornerstone of Slam poetry is the Poets connection with her Audience. So it just makes since for the poet to be judged by an Attentive Listener. At the same time, this keeps some one from stacking the audience in his.her favor.

Ideally, promotors should choose people from the audience who have Never (and i do mean NEVER/EVER) witnessed a Poetry Slam. Now, depending on where u are, this may be hard. It's like trying finding an impartial jury for the Micheal Jackson Trial. Never the less, I've known Slam Masters to intentially invite people who are new to Slam in hopes of using them as judges. Big up to Queen Sheba and her WORD UP SLAM comp.

We witnessed first hand the benifits of having Virgins as judges at the 2004 WORD UP competition held in Norfolk VA. This was a $1000 slam the drew poets from all of the country and europe. A good majority of them were Slam Vets. Many, however, were new to the international slam scene like we were. Not only did we not know what to expect from the other poets, we also had no idea how the audience would respond to us.

The first round was very hard. The judges picked from the audience happened to be familiar with Slam and many of the Poets as well. Needless to say, out of 30 poets, a good # of them got astronomical scores which meant a sizable amount with into the Second Round.

The second round was Much Different. As is the custom, there was a Callibration poet to start the night off. This sort of a way to get the judges used to scoring. It also counters the Slam Curse of being the Very First Poet of the Night who usually is judged harder than the rest. (this sort of applies to the last poet too, since by that time, Judges are Sick and Tired of Poetry).

To illustrate the beauty of Virgin Judges: The Callibration Poet of the evening was Taalam Acey. The dude is to Poetry what Jay Z is to Rap. His score: Something like 24 PTS!!!!! Nicole says 26. In any regard, the Judges had committed Poetry Blasphemy and didn't even know it! But in turn, they leveled the Playing field for us.

[note: NATURAL went on to Win 2nd place in the slam. we won 250 bucks. enough money to make it back home!!!]

This is one of the strongest attributes of PSI Competition; it returns SLAM to its roots as an event of the People. And not just Poets or Literature Buffs but all Kinds of People.