Local artists spit for a trip to D.C. and shot at Russell Simmons
By Anisha F. Coleman
For The St. Louis American
The air was rich with lyrical finesse in a snug section in the basement of the Victor Roberts Building this past Saturday night. The mixed crowd, of varying social classes, age groups and ethnicities, gathered to watch contestants from the spoken word and hip-hop genres battle it out onstage for prestigious prizes.
This cultural event, “Hot Lyrics to Go: A Competition for Lyrical Supremacy,” was sponsored by the Millions More Movement and members of the Nation of Islam.
“In the spirit of the 10th Annual Commemoration of the Million Man March, we decided to put on this event to bridge the racial and religious gaps that are embedded in our community,” said Brother Demond Muhammad, representative of the Nation of Islam and key player in the Millions More Movement.
“What we want people to understand is that the Million Man March, in all its greatness, was the catalyst for the Millions More Movement as we know it today.”
When asked about the long-term goals of the movement, Muhammad emphasized, “It’s important for all of us to create and maintain a united front in our communities the whole year through, not just at special, annual events. We need to encourage each other every day to keep driving at unifying our people.”
The competition got off to a smooth start, with the sultry emceeing talents of Queen Isis Jones, of Clear Channel’s 100.3 The Beat.
“I think this is a great forum by which these artists can make their voices heard. It’s also a tool by which they can grow,” Jones said.
“Tonight’s audience has young children in the midst and, for many of them, this will be their first time hearing and witnessing the gift of spoken word.”
I found it refreshing that the lyricists were given a “clean lyrics” rule in order to keep the content clean, with no explicit lyrics or adult content allowed. This challenged the artists to express themselves using the power of words, without the cheap thrills of profanity.
The judges were tucked into a corner of the stage, closely monitoring the contestants’ stage form, voice presentation and, most importantly, lyrical content.
Female spoken word runner-up Teke held the audience captive while commanding the mic. She eloquently spoke of the trials and tribulations of relationships and personal insecurities with an introspective twist. Through her soft demeanor, yet strong spirit, she made the audience feel her struggle and her reformation.
The competition was steep, with hip-hop artists like Young Blaze bringing the heat with his tough yet poetic rhymes and forcing the judges and audience alike to make a hard decision.
The artists were diverse, with participants ranging in age from 21 to 52-years-young spoken word talent Nessa. The age difference allowed the old heads to impart wisdom to the younger generation, both onstage and in the audience.
Malana Hattings, age 32, brought her two young daughters, ages 4 and 8, and her teenage son to witness the battle for lyrical supremacy.
“I try to expose my kids to events that embody cultural diversity so they’ll be well-rounded,” Hatting said.
“When I heard about this event, I thought it was just going to be the typical stuff that you hear in the Loop, but this is was on a whole other level. I hope they host another one.”
The stiff competition led to a two-way tie between spoken word artists Teke and Marko-V. After a lengthy deliberation, judges announced the two finalists had to go toe-to-toe in a two-minute skit in a fight for first place. Marko-V came out on top with his skit on political unrest, which hit the audience hard, given the current situation in Iraq.
Marko-V received a $250 cash prize, a golden opportunity to have his act presented to Russell Simmons of Def Jam, and the honor of traveling, all expenses paid, to Washington D.C. for the Millions More event.
