Spoken Word Artistry (Archives)

Some archival writings about spoken word, performance poetry, storytelling, poetry film, and global music.

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Capitan Humano 'Putos Inmortales' de Al Kronstadt
Capitan Humano 'Putos Inmortales' de Al Kronstadt

Putos Inmortales, a spoken word video developed from the album Sinergia by Capitan Humano, featuring the voice of Al Kronstadt (Pipas de Coco).

Pumpkin 'Rose Combat' A Cappella
Pumpkin 'Rose Combat' A Cappella

French emcee Pumpkin performs her Rose Combat piece acapella. Bastien Burger’s chiaroscuro film brings it all back to the elemental, the voice and the face and the energy.

Reverb on Verse: Melbourne spoken word album launches
Reverb on Verse: Melbourne spoken word album launches

Officially launching in June,  a fresh compilation of spoken word and music by Melbourne based female and gender diverse poets and producers.

Checkpoint 303 'Time Passes - A Tribute to John Berger'
Checkpoint 303 'Time Passes - A Tribute to John Berger'

From Checkpoint 303, a remix/collage/soundscape of John Berger, who left us on 2nd January, reading Ghassan Kanafani's "Letter from Gaza".

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Candy Royalle & Kween G 'You're Racist'
Candy Royalle & Kween G 'You're Racist'

Two Sydney artists, two great communicators, have joined forces to inspire us to action. Candy Royalle & Kween G combine - and seriously, what a combination! - for a confrontational, unapologetic track about racism in Australia and the world over. 

One Sixth 'Labyrinth'
One Sixth 'Labyrinth'

A spoken word video of Melbourne rapper 1/6 is being shared far and wide today and that fact gives me hope. That when truth is simply spoken it resonates. That we stop and listen. That we take it as meant, and work together to manifest more truth in our daily lives. This piece, writes 1/6, "was inspired by and in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. It's purpose is to help raise awareness of the ongoing race issues happening not only in America but worldwide."

Akotowaa 'IWITP'
Akotowaa 'IWITP'

Ivana Akotowaa Ofori is Akotowaa, out of Ghana, 18 years old and wise as wise is. Spoken word artist and writer, the self-coined "lexivist" - word activist - she describes this poetic song as "a fresco of riffs and picks, claps and voice tricks, and of course, #SpokenWordOnBeat." 

Brandon Wint 'The Long Walk Home'
Brandon Wint 'The Long Walk Home'

I think this is the greatest compliment I could give to a spoken word album, to be honest: that it can be listened to and that it can also just be heard. It doesn't demand close difficult attention, but invites it. It is music that is as lovely to listen to as any folk music I tend to want to hear on a lazy Saturday afternoon. And it is also storytelling, as rewarding as any novel. 

Rafeef Ziadah 'We Teach Life'
Rafeef Ziadah 'We Teach Life'

Rafeef Ziadeh is a Palestinian performance poet and human rights activist based in London. Following on from her 2014 release Hadeel, the new album We Teach Life is a beautiful development both poetically and musically.

Abdul Hammoud ''Tried' (For The Baltimore Uprising)'
Abdul Hammoud ''Tried' (For The Baltimore Uprising)'

A powerful poem by Abdul Hammoud, directed by Charles Williams, filmed by Aaron Farrugia

Checkpoint 303 حاجز ٣٠٣ : 'The Iqrit Files'
Checkpoint 303 حاجز ٣٠٣ : 'The Iqrit Files'

Checkpoint 303 releases 13 new tracks in May, in collaboration with Palestinian singers Jawaher Shofani and Wardeh Sbeit and poet Jihad Sbeit.

Adam Gibson & the Ark-Ark Birds 'Australia Restless'
Adam Gibson & the Ark-Ark Birds 'Australia Restless'

It feels good to be writing about two Australian spoken word long-play releases in the same week. And particularly good to be writing about a release from a storyteller who  tells the heart of this country, and who is taking storytelling to a whole new level.

Joel McKerrow & the Mysterious Few 'Welcome Home'
Joel McKerrow & the Mysterious Few 'Welcome Home'

The first time I saw Joel McKerrow perform live he was onstage alone belting out the poem Ugly Words, which features as the coda of this new long-play album, Welcome Home, with an urgency that surged and waned multiple times, from a tongue-in-cheek slyly self-knowing beginning to climactic shouting torrents of words that made it seem he might leap from the stage headlong into the audience, gather them all up and lead them on a poetic revolution through the streets. 

Audacious Melbourne
Audacious Melbourne

Here’s a snapshot of now, in Melbourne’s vibrant live spoken word scene.

GhaliLeo 'Fortress'
GhaliLeo 'Fortress'

Accra-based poet, musician and filmmaker GhaliLeo released this video a few days ago, influenced by African-American jazz, hip hop, metaphysics and neocolonialism

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Alice Eather 'My Story Is Your Story'
Alice Eather 'My Story Is Your Story'

This beautiful poet, beautiful voice, critically important story, captured with a very light touch by Luka Lesson on Kabalko Island …

Aja Monet 'Courage' EP
Aja Monet 'Courage' EP

Aja Monet’s new EP is a courageous collection coming from deep within the living art of storytelling.

Matteo Buratti 'Unico'
Matteo Buratti 'Unico'

Released in September this year, a full concept spoken word album from Bologna’s Matteo Buratti.

Anthony Joseph 'Botanique' Remix EP
Anthony Joseph 'Botanique' Remix EP

Back in February, Anthony Joseph released Time, a collaboration with bassist and singer Meshell Ndegeocello, and for me, the spoken word album of the year so far, by far. Since then he’s been touring that collection of spoken word funk, jazz, roots, far and wide. And this month, three remixes take three tracks into new territories of sound.

Shauntay Grant 'Say Sumthin'
Shauntay Grant 'Say Sumthin'

Say Sumthin - released in June - is a beautiful mix of spoken word deeply rooted in soul.

Kaie Kellough 'creole continuum'
Kaie Kellough 'creole continuum'

Drawn from linguistics studies of the 1960s, the title creole continuum refers to the degrees of language shift between speakers from the dominant language to Creole. Kaie explores from this point, the social and racial distinctions brought about through colonialism of person and language. Reaching far back to his African origins, he draws out the drums of voice.

Ken Nordine 'Bits & Pieces' of Word Jazz
Ken Nordine 'Bits & Pieces' of Word Jazz

Woke up to some nice news this morning (in the south) as spoken word maestro Ken Nordine posted (in the evening of the north) this message:

“Guess what? A 94 years old guy called me (who doesn’t know better yet) has had a big fun of putting together a new CD called “bits & pieces”... Your Honor, forgive me. I confess… I am guilty again of having committed Word Jazz. I couldn’t help myself… I had to do it. And the woman I’ve been married to for nearly 70 years told me I’d better do it… Playing the age card, silly”

Rafeef Ziadah - Sincere Resistance
Rafeef Ziadah - Sincere Resistance

The art of the storyteller is to stop the chatter, focus the listener, bypass the propaganda and the politics and reveal the story of the heart.

Beats Artistry: From the Edge, a Bridge
Beats Artistry: From the Edge, a Bridge

“A funeral party for the age of materialism.” Tramp the dirt down.

Beats Artistry: A Guide to the Birdsong of South America
Beats Artistry: A Guide to the Birdsong of South America

Stop everything for a moment. Pause to listen. This is a very beautiful project, and a valuable project too.

Titilope Sonuga 'Hide and Seek'
Titilope Sonuga 'Hide and Seek'

A spoken word song for lost children, for lost adults counting, losing count, for a world connected and disconnected, watching, turning away, hoping, losing hope. A poetic call to arms, a communication direct from a fearless heart.

Luka Lesson 'EXIT'
Luka Lesson 'EXIT'

Released today (May 1st) the new album from Greek-Australian poet Luka Lesson takes great leaps musically. Refreshingly mutable, fluidly shifting through styles, musical and poetic ideas, EXIT is an album with a heart of uncompromising truth.

Matteo Buratti e Fasto 'Per Quello Che Ho/Posso'
Matteo Buratti e Fasto 'Per Quello Che Ho/Posso'

L’amore non è bianco e nero … o è?

Candy Royalle 'Twelve' Cinepoems
Candy Royalle 'Twelve' Cinepoems

The final instalment of Candy Royalle’s cinepoems series arrived this month, bringing the project to completion and maybe, full circle.

Aja Monet 'You Make Holy War'
Aja Monet 'You Make Holy War'

Video from Aja Monet for the captivating spoken word track You Make Holy War. Shot and edited by Cam Be, it’s haunting, as is the poem. A perfect collaboration between poetry, music and visuals.

Anthony Joseph 'Time'
Anthony Joseph 'Time'

If you love conscious spoken word, if you love conscious spoken word you can dance to, hell, if you love conscious spoken word you can dance to on a hot evening with the windows open and the volume dial up high, go get this!

Denice Frohman 'Feels Like Home'
Denice Frohman 'Feels Like Home'

Denice Frohman is an award-winning poet, lyricist, and educator, whose multicultural upbringing inspires her to explore the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and the “in-betweeness” that exists in us all. 2013 was a big year for Denice, with major wins, collaborations, and a new album. 

Candy Royalle: 'Twelve' Cinepoems
Candy Royalle: 'Twelve' Cinepoems

Sydney based Candy Royalle has this month released the ninth instalment of her video series, TWELVE. 

Ikol Santiago: Hip Hop Boricua
Ikol Santiago: Hip Hop Boricua

Last week, Puerto Rican hip hop artist Ikol Santiago released this video for a track from his April ’13 album Iguacas.

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OFFENDUM X POETS of PROTEST Mix
OFFENDUM X POETS of PROTEST Mix
Wage Beauty 'The Alchemy of Storytelling'
Wage Beauty 'The Alchemy of Storytelling'

“A story of poetry, graffiti, and medicine for all you who have ever felt abused by discourses so damaging and boring, when what we need is beauty.”

Pataphysics 'Asylum is a Crime'
Pataphysics 'Asylum is a Crime'

Essential hip hop. Pataphysics is Pat Marks, Melbourne-based soulful guerilla hip hop artist. Musician and revolutionary poet with insightful rhymes, in both English and Sri Lankan. Latest video hits home, hard.

Aja Monet 'Autohistoria Teoria'
Aja Monet 'Autohistoria Teoria'

Cuban-Jamaican, Brooklyn born, Paris-based. Poet, activist, teacher, Aja Monet’s beautiful, inspiring video with Cam Be.

Impunité! Senegal Activist Hip Hop
Impunité! Senegal Activist Hip Hop

Essential hip hop. Senegalese activist hip hop collective Y’en A Marre (Fed Up) have united with Amnesty on the single ’100 COUPABLES : Impunité! Nous avons besoin de Justice’.

Omar Musa 'In Amsterdam'
Omar Musa 'In Amsterdam'

New video from Australian poet Omar Musa. “A beautiful moment of clarity I experienced in Amsterdam.” Only two minutes of your time, a meditation from a rapper with a tender heart.

Benin City 'My Love'
Benin City 'My Love'

Just dropped from Benin City, video by Charlie Behrens and free downloads of new single My Love:

Anthony Joseph & Mop Mop
Anthony Joseph & Mop Mop

Just found this, hot track! (thanks to Groovalizacion for the heads-up on this album tonight!) Trinidad-born, UK-based poet Anthony Joseph (featured in last December’s Caribbean-flavoured La Danza Poetica) collaborates with Andrea Benini (Italy/Berlin) and Mop Mop, funk/afro/jazz/Italo band.

Beats Artistry: Hiatus & Shura
Beats Artistry: Hiatus & Shura

So many layers in Cyrus Shahrad’s music. So much restrained emotion in Shura’s voice. And this video (by Tom Jobbins), so simple, also very very complicated (much the same could be said about these musical collaborations).

Beats Artistry: Ngaiire
Beats Artistry: Ngaiire

Seriously I haven’t been this excited by a voice since Amy.

Shane Koyczan 'To This Day'
Shane Koyczan 'To This Day'

Please take some moments to watch this. This is more than spoken word ‘artistry’ – though there is such artistry in this, such command of the art of storytelling by this Canadian poet and such incredible animated emotion by many different artists. But this is more than art. This is the best example of why storytelling is one of our most necessary crafts, as well as one of our most powerful healers…

Ivy 'Va faire ta guerre'
Ivy 'Va faire ta guerre'

Va faire ta guerre (Go make your war) was written in 2011 for Amnesty International project Partners for Peace. A letter to the fat cats, to the warmongers, to “M. le Grassouillet / Le Souillé / Le Suprême de Poulet”.....

Mutombo Da Poet + M3NSA
Mutombo Da Poet + M3NSA

A new track from Ghana’s Mutombo, first release from an album coming in 2013. This time – and foreshadowing many collaborations – Mutombo works with M3NSA.

Emoticon Dawn 'Jump'
Emoticon Dawn 'Jump'
Ponte Aérea Elétrica
Ponte Aérea Elétrica

“São blogueiros, escritores, cantores, dançarinos, atores / Djs, médicos, artistas plástico, palhaços, cineastas de guerrilha.Poetas / Porque a palavra não tem fronteira.”

Aja Monet 'Scared To Make Love / Scared Not To'
Aja Monet 'Scared To Make Love / Scared Not To'

“I get most of my wisdom from woman. I practice it on my brothers.” In the track Us, Aja Monet roll-calls her women as the track cites James Brown’s It’s a Man’s World … “my litany for survival”. The track sets up an album that quietly but firmly secures Aja’s place in my own roll-call of inspirational women.

World Hip Hop Women: From The Sound Up
World Hip Hop Women: From The Sound Up

If you want a global update on the hottest women Hip Hop artists right now, check this generous mixtape from Nomadic Wax.

Faithfull feat. Samy Labrute, Dark Spirit: "L'afrique"
Faithfull feat. Samy Labrute, Dark Spirit: "L'afrique"
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P.P.S. The Writah 'Weerul Ci Mane'
P.P.S. The Writah 'Weerul Ci Mane'
Omar Musa & Luka Lesson 'The Light'
Omar Musa & Luka Lesson 'The Light'

I’ve been remiss in not linking to this, a video dropped in November. Melbourne-based spoken word artists Luka Lesson and Omar Musa in Istanbul transcending, produced by Tenicee. 

Beats Artistry ~ Volfoniq 'Ernest Revisited'
Beats Artistry ~ Volfoniq 'Ernest Revisited'

Cher danseurs, you of refined and intelligent style, you who love to dance at the pace of the beat of your heart, you earnest folk who like to smile, with only a small delay I suggest to you this:

Tanya Evanson 'Language of Gods'
Tanya Evanson 'Language of Gods'

Out of Vancouver, Tanya Evanson brings her third ‘spoken wor.l.d’ music album exploring concepts of family, mythology, dialect, silence & technology…

Mutombo Da Poet 'I choose words, not guns.'
Mutombo Da Poet 'I choose words, not guns.'

Take some time to listen to Mutombo Da Poet, from the city of Accra in Ghana West Africa. 

G.R.E.E.d.S & The Remedies
G.R.E.E.d.S & The Remedies
Beats Artistry: MIDI East
Beats Artistry: MIDI East

MIDI East is a library of East-Euro/West Asian music – 9,000 midi files discovered “floating around” the internet by Aus/Berlin electronic musician, producer Brian May (DJ Delay / Beam Up / Sonical), and offered up to electronic musicians and producers with a challenge – to put down the synced sampler and do some hard work on some raw files and create some new electronic music.

Beats Artistry: Maga Bo 'Quilombo do Futuro'
Beats Artistry: Maga Bo 'Quilombo do Futuro'
Scream Blue Murmur 'Belfast Sun'
Scream Blue Murmur 'Belfast Sun'

The artists formerly known as the Belfast Poets who kicked down some great poetic collaborations in Melbourne way back when … Scream Blue Murmur are now kicking poetry around inside musical grooves and it’s really cool to hear these artists pushing their form so decisively.

Alia Gabres 'She Cotton Summer Dresses'
Alia Gabres 'She Cotton Summer Dresses'

Watch this new video shot by Shuttermain, “She Cotton Summer Dresses”. From Melbourne.