Rhythm and Poetry: an evening of Hip Hop in the Purcell Room

Posted on Jul 22, 2011 by Alex Rowse

The wonderful Yemisi Blake  introduced me to the world of spoken word a couple of years ago, and some of the first poets to draw me in were Kate Tempest, Polarbear and Inua Ellams. Last Thursday they and a handful of incredibly talented poets came together under Inua’s curation to present a night of verse inspired by Hip Hop. Heading up the event was Charlie Dark, possibly the funniest man on the scene. He repeatedly expressed his excitement and disbelief that such an event was happening at the Southbank, a ‘nice venue with flushing toilets’, but its an accolade that it deserves- the sp0ken word is an art form valued as highly as the more traditional events of the Literature festival.

The format was simple: one poem by each poet and then two of their favourite Hip Hop tracks. It made for one of the most explosive evenings I’ve spent at the Southbank as an eclectic audience were united by humour, sorrow and a deep rooted love of music. Every single poet was top notch that night, but here are some of my old favourites.

Charlie Dark’s poem explored how his relationship with Hip Hop evolved when he became a father and found himself turning raps into bedtime stories and standing in the corner of the playground  covertly nodding to beats through headphones. A moment I found poignant was when he noted how the misogyny within the songs he’d always loved did not sit well with having a little daughter.

PolarBear is a Brummie poet who anchors his work in the every day to which we can all relate. As expected, his poem was funny and endearing whilst intensely reminiscent of those awkward teenage experiences that are tucked away under more pleasant memories. He talked about playing spin the bottle with ‘Gemma McBride- she smells like CK1 and flumps’ whilst Biggie Smalls talks in his head.

Kate Tempest came on stage to perform something she ‘just wrote’ that she hoped was ‘ok’ and within minutes the entire audience was on their feet. Her voice is like a storm that I urge you to experience; it gathers you up in its accelerating rhythms and earnest intensity. The perfect ending came with Inua Ellams. Velvet-soft tones balanced the humour that had permeated the event, reminding us of the pure power of words and how they can be manipulated.

Congrats to these guys and the other poets for a memorable night of beauty, fun and Hip Hop.

Roger Robinson

Jacob Sam La-Rose

Warsan Shire

Poetic Pilgrimage

Zena Edwards

Find me on twitter @alexrowse.

Filed under: London Literature Festival 2011, Misc Tagged: Alex Rowse, Charlie Dark, Inua Ellams, Kate Tempest, polarbear