LAST WEEK: We had the Denver Dynamo PAULIE LIPMAN in the building, dropping science both serious and silly, talking about nerdism, tattoos, his heritage, and tons more...(check out Paulie at Mic and Dim Lights Thursday, October 18th as well)...!
THIS WEEK: Speaking of A Mic and Dim Lights, AKA one of the biggest open mics in Southern California, we are extra hyped to have back the host of that venue and one of our favorite poets ever, BESSKEPP! This is a cat who's done it all, from the page to the stage and back again. Raised on a diet of Langston Hughes and Public Enemy, his poems mix the personal with the political with an urgency that only a true teacher can provide. His bio:
HBO Def Poet, author, and a member of two national slam teams, Besskepp merges originality and heritage with performance and at countless colleges, cafes, arenas, festivals, and coffeehouses. Twice named Teacher of the Year, he was featured by the Los Angeles Times for his academic innovation that incorporates Hip Hop and Poetry into the classroom. By mixing classical structure with an urban flavor, Besskepp creates poetry that deconstructs the complex issues facing youth today through non-elitist language. Other accomplishments include an appearance on BETs The Way You Do It, as well as being featured on Fox Television for his performance at the 2004 Hip Hop Theater Festival. In 2005, Besskepp's Hip Hop Theater Play, Homeless Beatboxer was twice featured at the REDCAT Theater at Disney Hall. His weekly poetry reading (A MIc & Dim Lights) www.myspace.com/amdl is arguably the largest in California, and rated among the top five in the nation. In 2003, his much anticipated CD release Bluze Langwij, was described by Rock and Rap Confidential as the most musical mixture of spoken word with the instrumental truth. His poetry addresses pertinent issues as equal rights, single-parent households, education, homelessness and the influences of Hip Hop on our society.
We're hoping he brings some of the Dim Lights Alumni to rock the mic as well, but even if he's solo with no mic and no lights, he will still rock your face off!
and NEXT WEEK: The cross-contintental vocab-drenched verses of TSHAKA CAMPBELL!
See you at the Palmer,
Slim, Jedi, and Joshua.
