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Yay or Nay: SPOKEN WORD POETRY

d_wordd_word 666 Posts
edited March 2006 in Strut Central
I always said NAY cause shit's mostly corny. I liked this episode of "Hits From the Street" on BET when HITS does this shit and kinda clowns it. Hilarious. But maybe I'm too dismissive?? A friend lent me "Russell Simmons Def Poetry" DVD and it's looking at me while it sits on my coffeetable. Do I watch it? I never seen it before and it says Dave Chappelle is on it at some point, doing comedy I'm sure. Mos hosts it.One vote: NAY so far .....

  Comments

  • Big_ChanBig_Chan 5,088 Posts
    Never really been feelin' the spoken word shit mayne, but I'm disconnected from the coffee houses so what do I know?
  • AaronAaron 977 Posts
    Don't even think of cracking that thing open!
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I generally cant fuck w/ spoken word.

    But Common's Father always does a good job on all those jazz outros, where he is just kickin' it.

    Last Poets =

    And when Maya Angelou freestyles, that always brings a smile to my face.


    During VH1Soul intermissions, they have the typical Afro-sister talkin' about"Soul music IS....BlackBlackblackblack...echo.." - How cliche..

    It seems the delivery is all the same. I am , You are , the universe..

    LOVE JONES was good though.
  • m_dejeanm_dejean Quadratisch. Praktisch. Gut. 2,946 Posts
    I generally cant fuck w/ spoken word.

    But Common's Father always does a good job on all those jazz outros, where he is just kickin' it.

    During VH1Soul intermissions, they have the typical Afro-sister talkin' about"Soul music IS....BlackBlackblackblack...echo.." - How cliche..

    It seems the delivery is all the same. I am , You are , the universe..

    Funny. I found Pop's speak on part 2 of 'Be' to fall in exactly this clich??.

    "Be you. Be me. Be us. Be them. Be up. Be down. Be bop. Be poop."

    Sorry for clowning on Com's pops, but I always skip that part of the song. At the same time I like Ursula Rucker, so I'm contradicting myself here . Been listening a lot to 'Supa Sista' and I like the closing tracks she does on The Roots' first three albums. Yeahyeah, I know???take that shit to okeydokeydotcom.
  • batmonbatmon 27,574 Posts
    I generally cant fuck w/ spoken word.

    But Common's Father always does a good job on all those jazz outros, where he is just kickin' it.

    During VH1Soul intermissions, they have the typical Afro-sister talkin' about"Soul music IS....BlackBlackblackblack...echo.." - How cliche..

    It seems the delivery is all the same. I am , You are , the universe..

    Funny. I found Pop's speak on part 2 of 'Be' to fall in exactly this clich??.

    "Be you. Be me. Be us. Be them. Be up. Be down. Be bop. Be poop."

    Sorry for clowning on Com's pops, but I always skip that part of the song. At the same time I like Ursula Rucker, so I'm contradicting myself here . Been listening a lot to 'Supa Sista' and I like the closing tracks she does on The Roots' first three albums. Yeahyeah, I know???take that shit to okeydokeydotcom.


    He does spit some of that stuff, but overall he's way more relaxed IMO.

    I have Ursula Rucker's first two albums. So I guess i'm contradictin' as well.

    Oh yeah I dig the Anomalies too.......UH Oh.
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    What exactly is "yay or nay" about it? there is good recorded poetry and there is bad - just like anything. I'd bet the farm that you hatters have not listened to very much of it.
  • hcrinkhcrink 8,729 Posts
    Oh wait - you guys are looking for "funky black man poetry".
  • d_wordd_word 666 Posts
    Clarification: contemporary spoken word poetry, not the entire genre. i.e. Def Poetry show.
  • d_wordd_word 666 Posts
    Here's a new piece I am working on for next Wednesday's JAM:

    Well they say I should approach you
    With caution
    But not to let you be aware of my fear
    Never know what you'll find
    Don't understand your kind 'round here
    Watching your moves
    They look so radical
    Hearing your words
    They sound fanatical
    Something inside reveals you're magical
    How can I get enough
    You're a strange animal
    That's what I know
    But you're a strange animal
    I've got to follow
    They've been trying to stick a line
    In your system
    Analysing the defenses you hold
    Trying to open wide
    Hoping to step inside your soul
    But everything here is unfamiliar
    Nothing they've seen remotely similar
    How can it be you're so peculiar
    How can I get enough
    O Ominous Spiritus!
  • m_dejeanm_dejean Quadratisch. Praktisch. Gut. 2,946 Posts
    What exactly is "yay or nay" about it? there is good recorded poetry and there is bad - just like anything. I'd bet the farm that you hatters have not listened to very much of it.

    How come this clear-sighted line of argumentation is only brought forth in select threads? Please to copy-paste to the majority of the hiphop-threads on SS overflowing with generalizing statements.

    Oh wait - you guys are looking for "funky black man poetry".

    Yeah, "funky black man poetry" and records with "ill drum braeks, yo".

    Seriously, this is one of my favorite spoken word albums:



    'Han Er Nu Malet Bl??' by legendary danish poet, documentary film-maker, jazz-reviewer and Tour De France commentator J??rgen Leth.


    Very far from being a funky black man. Poems about the swedish town Kumla, jeeps, table tennis, cycling, girls and lingual deconstruction. And the music is , done by young bucks Jeppe Saugman, Jonas Engberg and Kristoffer Sjelberg. I'd post a track from it, but somebody borrowed my CD.
  • JazzsuckaJazzsucka 720 Posts
    What exactly is "yay or nay" about it? there is good recorded poetry and there is bad - just like anything. I'd bet the farm that you hatters have not listened to very much of it.

    Listening to them is not an option.
  • goodwill_huntinggoodwill_hunting 324 Posts
    the two wanda robinson albums on perception are pretty good, by the way has anyone ever seen her book the daze of wine...without roses? anyone know where i can find that?
  • 33thirdcom33thirdcom 2,049 Posts
    There is good and there is bad. If you are watching Def Poetry Jam, ONLY watch the first season. After that it's straight cornball cliches. The first season isn't the dopest stuff I have ever heard, but its better than any other trash spewing from Def Poetry Jam.

    There is good and there is bad stuff. It depends on how interested in it you are. The stuff at the coffeehouses is mostly going to be the cliched white and black poetry. You might get some heat once in awhile, but for the most part its usually wack with the same tires styles/ideas over and over.

    Where you live is going to determin your access and the type of spoken word you are going to get. Small towns because of a lack of outlets you will get alot of bullshit. Big cities you will get alot of bullshit as well, but at the same time you at least have enough outlets that a few standouts will appear.

    Finding good spoken word these days is like searching for holy grails. raer.
  • djbrigidopedjbrigidope 166 Posts
    im likin talaam acey. his book eyes wide open is pretty interesting. his cds however,
    i like the straight live recorded joints... but the tracks where he lays a hip hop beat under isnt ny stizzles. nice dude though.
  • JuniorJunior 4,853 Posts
    Only album of spoken word I've ever owned is Dana Bryant's Wishing From The Top after hearing Margaret on some late night show. That song stands head and shoulders over everything else on there.

    Needless to say after hearing that song I kinda expected Dana to be some weathered old woman, and certainly not this:


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