Damon Hollis Bey is winner of the first round of the Freedom W/Righters Poetry Slam. The Slam is a project of the progressive hip-hop community in St. Louis to spread word on Reggie Clemons. Clemons is on death row related to the 1991 Chain of Rocks Bridge murders.
The poetry slam rounds will continue on February 9 and 17. The slams are held at the Ujamaa and Legacy bookstores. The MC battle kicked off on January 27 at Blueberry Hill and continues on February 6, 10 and 13 alternating between Blueberry Hill and the Hi-Pointe. Winner of the poetry slam will receive a cash prize of $250 and the winning MC will get $500.
Jamala Rogers, coordinator of the Justice for Reggie Clemons campaign, said the only requirement for Freedom W/Righters contestants is that they use facts from the case for their rap.
The battles will climax at the annual State of Black Men conference when the winners take the stage. The conference will be held at the University of Missouri-St. Louis on February 24. For more information, holler at Montague Simmons at (314) 367-5959.