Def Poetry

Def Poetry host by Mos Def is definitely a nice and relaxing show for me. As someone who listens to Rap music which is spawned by poetry, it's very interesting to see a diverse group of poets with attitude and mental intellect. The cast sometimes is very, very unorthodox and this is what makes the show good to watch.

Same thing basically as Def Comedy Jam, but this is all poetry and even some of the poems have a strong sense of humor in them. memorable poems by Flow Mentalz, Yellow Rage, Common, Buju Banton, Talib Kweli, Wood Harris and others...

nice show

First off, if you generally dislike spoken word, hip-hop or even poetry in general... you might want to skip this. For the record Def Poetry tends to veer towards rap and slam poetry and away from more traditional poetry, so some lovers of Wordsworth or Plath or frost wont want to make the trip.

If you have seen the movie "slam" or heard Saul Williams or Sara Jones or lemon or any other slam poets or are interested in exposing yourself or others to this form of poetry you WILL be interested in checking out Def Poetry. As with all compilations, there are highs and lows, but overall most of the poets do have something to offer, whether it is profane humor, joie de vie, or something eloquent, touching or political.

Each episode features 4-5 young poets doing their thing as well as a singular "old school" representative. My one complaint is that each of the older artists is presented reading or reciting in sepia tones... this seems cheesy to me.

there are 4 episodes of this program shown per year, and the first two years have been collected on DVD. My mom is an English teacher in a high school here in Canada and she is planning to use the first season (selected parts) to illustrate to her students how poetry can still be a relevant form... and to show the link between rap and poetry.

There IS some foul language, but for the most part its absolutely nothing you haven't heard a million times (esp if you listen to rap). Its definitely nothing that will scare you away. If you keep in mind that the typical episode will have 2 performers you will really enjoy and 3 that you will not be so into, I think you will find it a welcome surprise. Def poetry jam is something different, and of decent quality. and that makes it a worthwhile show.

Everyone who has HBO should be exposed to this gem of a series. Presented by the man who brought you the Def Comedy Jam, Russell Simmons, brings you Def Comedy Jam. A series which exemplifies Americas problems as well as diversity. This show will truly open your eyes through a plethora of lyrical tongue twists and non-commercialized rap. You've got to see it to believe it!

I love this show. It gives light to poets who have something to say and are not afraid to tell the world the truth to it's face and not give a damn about how you take it. I especially loved the poem, "First Writing Since" by Suheir Hammad. It was about an Arab woman who had to deal with being Arab, dealing with 9/11 and having two brothers in the U.S. Navy. I especially loved the lines:

"one more person ask me if i knew the hijackers.

one more m*therf*cker ask me what navy my brother is in. one more person assume no arabs or muslims were killed. one more person assume they know me, or that i represent a people. or that a people represent an evil. or that evil is as simple as a flag and words on a page.

we did not vilify all white men when mcveigh bombed oklahoma. america did not give out his family's addresses or where he went to church. or blame the bible or pat robertson.

and when the networks air footage of palestinians dancing in the street, there is no apology that hungry children are bribed with sweets that turn their teeth brown. that correspondents edit images. that archives are there to facilitate lazy and inaccurate journalism."

Powerful stuff!

I was the production manager on the last season and for the special!!