Poetry Jam returns to League

But his poem did not apply to this event. No bull - this was real.

The evening was a meld of original poetry read, or rapped, by more than 25 performers with hip hop music spun by DJ Beniquez.

DANA LINNANE/Daily Emotions went wild at "The Session."

"The Session" lasted about four hours with people filtering in and out throughout the evening.

Held in the Michigan League Ballroom to at least 100 attendees, the MC Saladin Ahmed offered the mike to any performer. But no one read clichéd love poems or depressing rants that so often waste open mikes.

Most people read with the hip hop style of rhythmic rhymes and witty lines, while others expressed themselves in more conventional ways.

The evening was initiated by an expression of frustration with "the industry"- the industries of music, fashion and television. The first performer pointed out the control corporations have over our psyches, comparing it to sexual control.

Though similar themes came about throughout the evening, each poet expressed their individuality. Overall, the most common themes were sex, relationships, American society and racial issues. But above all, hormones seemed to be the most inspiring muse.

For example, David, a.k.a. Slick Tongue, declared, "spiritual orgasm is what I need at night."

Some performers were blatantly graphic, describing sex in detail or erotic fantasies, but always with unique imagery and clever wording.

Several poets confronted African American issues in American society.

And still others chose to rap with the rhythms of music, and one poet recited with two musicians. The lyrics were especially potent with the dreamy sighs of a violin and the smooth slides of an upright bass.

The violinist showed his skills by playing free-style to DJ Beniquez's spinnings. A few other performers also showed their free-styling skills, although lyrically.

The evening concluded with an improvisational conglomeration of several of the rappers who had previously performed.

RC senior Amy Rose Dinges organized the Hip Hop Poetry Slam, the first to occur this year. Last year, she coordinated the MSA funded event six times, always with a successful turnout. She and a friend began the Slams two years ago. It started with a gathering in her house and has now grown to a large regular event in the Michigan League Ballroom.

Dinges was motivated to initiate the evenings because she saw that on campus there was a "lack of an open forum for people to express themselves."

Hip Hop Poetry Slam will be in December or January, coinciding with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium.

11-24-98