And, for your dining and dancing pleasure, here are some replies to Baraka's
posts.

Chris Hayden


>From: Kalamu ya Salaam <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: DIA: amiri baraka responses re: felipe luciano / #4
>Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2001 09:17:16 EDT
0010764
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> >>Re: DIA: amiri baraka responses re: felipe luciano / #4
>============================================
>
>Brother Kalamu,
>
>I love this forum and link to other writers because it is real, and I love
>Baraka for not holding back his feelings about poetry slams.
>
>I will not personally participate in poetry slams, but I do not condemn
>them.
>I consider myself a poet first and not a "spoken word artist." It took me a
>long time to accept that this is the state of modern poetry, that the "less
>filling, sounds great" poet can turn an audience on by the way they say
>something and not say much at all.
>
>That being the case, I think it is war out there. True poets who craft the
>word on the page, write and rewrite to get it right, need to read their
>work
>in public as much as the slam poet. That way, the world knows there's more
>out there than one genre of poetry.
>
>Embrace the slam for the interest it develops in folks who might never
>think
>of picking up a book of poetry. If old school cats interact with slam
>poets,
>maybe our work ethic will rub off on them and their energy and enthusiasm
>in
>performance will rub off on us.
>
>Mitchell Douglas
>Affrilachian Poets
>Louisville, KY
>
>-----------------------------------
>
>Hi Kalamu (and all concerned),
>I've found this discussion interesting, especially Baraka's thoughts on
>slams
>and the response(s) to them. As a poet and writer, the slam concept never
>appealed to me. I'm turned off to the idea of competing in this
>way--whether
>money is involved or not. I've never been a slam feeling inspired--in the
>way that I am typically moved and spiritual fed by poetry presentations
>otherwise. I don't condemn the idea of slams, but I will go on record for
>not
>being a fan of them. Open reading and curated events as well serve to "free
>up" performance writing from the restraints of the academy. It all depends
>on
>whose producing the event and why.
>--Malaika Adero
>
>----------------------------------------
>
>Dear brotha Kalamu
>
>I just subscribed to e-drum, just some hours ago and
>boom, i am sent all these exciting debates on slams
>and wether poetry will be soul'd to the big corporates
>just like hip-hop's rap music.
>
>I am a young South African writer and journalist,
>involved as a participant and cultural/social observer
>of " the socio-political as well as cultural affairs,
>that affects blacks, the third world and all those
>artists and artforms, fighting to be understood for
>what they are: liberatory art.
>
> So i just read, my childhood hero and still a legend
>i admire so much, Amiri Baraka's comments about slam
>and the popularisation- my emphasis- of poetry by them
>young guns.
>
>I will offer an unscholarly feedback of my own, and
>post on e-drum my full article-essay on the revival of
>poetry in SA's inner cities, especially Johannesburg.
>, just after publication in a SA weekly. This is just
>my instant feedback. . .
>
>Here . . .my two penny . . . I am sorry Imamu, i think
>, though your fears are well understtod, they are
>discouraging and not engaging. They are not aiming to
>defeat and deal with the very scourge of cheap
>" capitalisation" of out poetry, you are decryin'.
>
>In short, the fact that slams, will quickly be
>commercial, just like rap, has been turned on its head
>is not a reason enough no to put positive black poetry
>on the world map. Via TV. Of course, i agree with you,
>the real radical change- will not be televised, but we
>know the mainstream also, get sick of itself and get
>attracted to something beautifully liberatory, even if
>it was not by choice.
>
>Yes there will be always exist - not alive, but exist-
>those sho are pretty quick to sell our souls, but
>then, i say positive black poetry is not that cheap to
>allow the very best of its sould to go for two
>pennise, nor a billion dollat offered by Russel
>Simmons.
>
>Yesm pretensious revolution will always crop out
>everywhere, fake soul will always mushroom everwhere,
>including in jazz, that is if the are tired of turning
>blues to poprock, they will call themselves " folk
>stars", there will always be those amongst us and the
>corporations who will always try to steak the skank
>out of funk, only to create the skunk that was "
>disco" ,yes there will always, who will try to turn
>the Message from rap into shiny gold chains to hold us
>back , but listen baba, listen ther sage, deep withini
>those and hovering on the margins of those artforms ,
>being sould out to the highest bidder, will be those
>wuith eyse to see and spirit to resist. There will
>always those who are ready sto start something "they"
>cannot steal. Just let them but but but , for in that
>way, some fire positive sparks will jump out of that
>blue evil fire to spark the real flames of
>inspiration.
>
> I can tell you now, and old man , who was always too
>dismissive when we discussed rap,saying all of it is
>the " devil's music" changed his mind, when i first
>showed him on TV, a very attrocious bump 'n grinf
>Music channel, to add chillli sauce to the wound, dead
>prez's video " Its bigger than hip-hop".
>
>I am saying, those that can contimue to oproduce poetr
>that i so tight that it is incorrogible, should be
>allowed to storm those NBC, CNN, ABC and all those
>"initialled" TV houses, with firespitting revelation
>so powerful that you cannot but.
>
>
>See, just because, poetry, especially this " slamming"
>trend is susceptible to commercilisation and that it
>has attracted eyes of those not concerned with its
>liberating purpose, should not mean youngsters should
>shy away from engagaing the very master trying to buy
>them.
>
>That very transactiobary conflict offer rich enough
>the materila for other poets to observe and join the
>dual sworded struggle of combating poetry
>harlotisation, while seeking to communicate to the
>masses through the very hallow channels offered by the
>big pimping TV execs.
>
>Days of our lives. Complex. Imagine, if we James
>Baldwin and Langston Hughes, long before him, were to
>choose not to publish with " liberal white.
>commercial" publishing houses, such as Penguin, where,
>would would millions of us be able to realise what a
>rich spirit the author of Notes of Native Son, Fire
>next Time, was ?
>
>Should we say, Amiri Baraka sucks and is
>anti-revolutionary, simply because he is/was teaching
>at NY or Columbia University, which is not " black
>owned" whichever you loiok at it. Should we say,
>because Edward Said, enjoys the luxury of an
>internationally famous professor in NY, then he cannot
>identify with the Palestinian soldiers blowing
>themselves for the liberation of their land ?
>
>Should we say, we should not have bought Gil
>Scot-Heron's previous LPs, because he was signed and
>marketed by Arista -so , superstitiously and
>wet-soaked with paranoia, we think, 'hey gents, hey
>s'stars ,what if "they"ve doctored his searing bluesy
>, crispy vocals ? What if they have tempered with his
>song "Winter in America" to sound as if they recorded
>it in a summer-enviroment to drown his metaphoric
>disco-ntent about about America ? why were the
>Temptations so entertaining, even when they were
>offering us healing R&B ?, why, Lordy Gordie was
>Marvin so entertaining even whe he asked w'ssup in the
>inncer cities?, oh-no, ohmi-God, lets not trust all
>these artwork produced and marketed/ exposed by these
>nefarious major entertainment companies. See, they
>cant be trusted. We cannot trust ourselves. Never
>know, whn we are hungriest, we tend to sell ourselves
>wih abandon to the oiliest tycoon out for a black
>screw".
>
>I am sure, that's how Mr Amiri Baraka , would have
>loved, things to turn out ? Yes, no? Complete "
>white-out" of blackform, from the Tv screens. I said,
>our forms , i never said bump 'n grind is our artform,
>though i know hip-hop America and R-Kelly can learn
>contextualised b & g from Agelique Kidjo, minus cheap
>Afriacn exotica.
>
>But back to slam and poetry, i've learned to believe
>that the situation is not easily in black and white or
>in blackart-ho'kers ( hawkers who happen to be
>hookers) and sould outs, or commercial and
>underground.
>
>The middle path- you can call me 'liberal' if it makes
>you more black- is more complex, engaging and
>challenging.
>
>I am not offering a cheap Spike's Bamboozable option
>of critiquing while benefiiting fom the system. . .
>all ia m saying is that, why should the very best of
>black talent not go towards popular culture, hence
>masses ?
>
>I may be young but i'not all that blue with naivete. I
>am aware's, there's a danger that if this poetry goes
>" The ma(i)n'-stream" we won-t be in control of its
>content, justs like rap.
>
>B ut lets not forget. there will always be those
>amongst sellouts- even selling our theie sell-out
>skills- , those author Ayi Kwei Armah, called
>"askaris" in "Two Thousands Seasons" and those amongst
>us, who are maroonsoldiers, subverivees and positively
>black,( the healers) like Saul Williams, and a host of
>young rappers such as Dialated Peoples, Mos Def, dead
>prez, KRS 1, Common, Rise an Shine,Talib Kweli,
>Postive Black Soul, Bongo Maffin and poets in SA like
>Tsoan Nhlapo and of the inspirational " When Poetry
>was Black" quartet, MmaSello Motana , etc, who, though
>are black and proud, still need to reach the masses ,
>for their radical messages to filter through.
>
>Yes, TV is really a bitch. Worse, when it bring in
>money. Cause it will create animosity within us. Some
>will compete just to show whos' the best "
>monkey-jiver" from the barrios, townships and gettoes.
>There os another route: take it to the masses, by
>visiiting townhalls and bookshops and cafes, but ,
>what then should we say, if , even such efforts gets a
>" sponsor: in the form of ABC ?
>
>The question , that perhaps need to asked, one wich i
>think NAACP and other fighters for
>black-representatuinm, forgot is: should we fight to
>be on TV/ be represented, or should we fight how we
>are represented ?
>
>So i ask, to be on TV , promoting black/ good poetry,
>is that wrong still ? Did't we say we want to see
>ourselves on the screen ?
>
> The other, fear, that lends itself to academic
>paranoia, is: the real reason why critics do not want
>to see poetry going " man"-stream is because of its
>close, almost invisible link to hip-hop. Not too
>worry, Mr Baraka. There will always be bling-blinmg
>and there will always be bang-black " i'm decent and
>proud" what eva you think of me, still within this
>rap-ture, called hip-hop.
>
>So, for a million who will sell out to the major TV
>channels, there will always be a hundred who resist,
>but they still need "X"-posure! i advanc.
>
>I would understand if you would say, black artists,
>millionaires, such as Bill Cosby, Oprah,plus those
>positive rappers you mentioned, merge with hip-hop
>entrepreneurs such as Rawkus, to record and develop
>televiosn packages to be sold as " final pacakages to
>those majors. That's a line i would say we can
>explore.
>
>Thing is, eventually, Mr Baraka, these majors would
>eventualy catch on too what we do in our dining room,
>bedrooms, churches, temples, mosques, amisebenzi ye
>madlozi- ( wich they "voodolise" meaning ogrify with
>relentless blood sbap shots of natives in Haiti,
>without borthering with context in their subtext) to
>try to see what's happening within our spirits, even
>if we prefer not to do business with them.
>
>
>I am saying, can we seek a creative way in which we
>can still reach out and not " rich" out.
>
>Cause if we " rich" out, we'll be " outed" by those
>with eyes to see. It;'s not like good intentioned,
>ordinary people do not know, what these majors are up
>to.
>
>But again, if we continue to refuse doing what we feel
>best- ie poetry, if we ar afraid to go on TV, simply
>because we are aftraid majors will steal and dispirit
>out art, then, we are not going to achieve anything.\
>
>We should not concern outselves with what they may do
>to us. We should concern oursleves with what, we can
>do to elevate our art and The message, make it so
>intact that they can't mess up with it, regardless of
>their lust to .
>
>Otherwise, where else can you run , without majors
>following soon ?
>
>Finally: Let, slamns permeate through the masses. Yes
>those dead prezes and Afrika Bambaatas of poetry , may
>not beneffit from these inevitable slamglamrisation
>tours that will eventually come out of thsi, creating
>a hard knock lives for those who had a will to do
>good, , like those true rap revolitinaries did not
>bene"fit"-, but perhaps, let's look at it this way:
>they( the revolutionaries in poetry and those in rap)
>should not even , bene-"fit" ( dollarwise).
>
>S o that we will have some consciouss minds around to
>remind us and crituque any new selling out. Remember,
>djelis you wrote about in "Blues People", did not have
>their jobs cut as soon as goverments or fabric seemed
>to have changed for the better.
>
>Their jobs was to praise and critique, every new
>trend, social behaviour, misdeeds and even critique
>themselves ) We hope some of the poets who decide to
>confront "man" stream,do so with the aim of seriously
>critiquing, these new-telepoe'ngelis' own, new found
>"be-ho!-viour"
>
>It is this selfcritique that i wish you. Imamu Amiri
>Baraka, and all of us blacks in Amerikkka and the
>diaspora should engage in. Its good that you came out
>like you did.
>
>Thank you.
>
>Bongani Madondo
>
>---------------------------------
>
>Dear Kalumu:
>
>
>I've read Mr. Baraka's comments and the responses. It is unfortunate, at
>this
>late date in world affairs, that
>
>Mr. Baraka continue to negate the reality of differences along class and
>other lines as facts of human existence.
>
>
>I don't buy any of the Marxist analysis. In the early days of Mr. Baraka's
>literary career, didn't he accept grant money from the Rockefeller
>Foundation? This is not a crime; however, it does raise serious questions
>about the reality of those who espouse this business of class struggle,
>etc.
>But, I don't want to get into this.
>
>
>The idea that artists should wake up and go to sleep at night having a
>near-starvation experience is not, to my way of thinking, the epitome of
>artistic expression. Shouldn't poets, indeed writers, be able to earn a
>living based upon their work? Well, yes; but, many cannot.
>
>
>We are long past the days of "Preface To A Twenty Volume Suicide Note" and
>it
>seems to me that we need to have a discussion about how we can get poetry
>and
>art into the hands of people who are interested in reading.
>
>
>No one told Mr. Baraka that he could not play a street raggamuffin in
>Bulworth and the film, to quite a number of people, was rather
>questionable.
>The day of the
>
>"Black Arts" manifesto is over. Writers do not have to bow down to a
>political philosophy in vogue or, I might add, they shouldn't.
>
>
>There is a kind of 1960's "thought police" inherant in
>
>Mr. Baraka's commentary. The Black writer--in short, writers in
>general--should write what the hell they want to write and let the chips
>fall
>where they may.
>
>
>Sure, Slam poetry is largely commercial and, well, may very well even be
>counterproductive to serious and more engaging poetry; but, serious
>listeners
>and/or readers will be able to discern the difference.
>
>Hasan
>
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