The Pure Ink Poetry Slamtastic Slam

Imagine if you could travel another dimension where it felt like a rhythmical creation of beauty in words outlining the walls, and with every breath of air you inhaled experience and everyone around you exhaled poetry. Guess what? You don’t have to travel far. That dimension happens to be called The Pure Ink Poetry Slamstastic Slam, which takes place in Buffalo, NY at the Gypsy Parlor. Not to mention that this event is monthly because you are sure to come back after your first experience. You may not be a poet, but you just might be the poem. What a way to kick off National Poetry month.

Getting off the route three bus on Grant Street on a snowy evening, I spotted the red sign reading Gypsy Parlor immediately. Upon entering, an identifiable waft of sweet potatoes fries and alcoholic beverages floated in the air. he bar stools were filled and the back of the parlor resembled the poetry juke joint in the film Love Jones. Sounds of Talib Kweli’s ‘The Blast’ flowed out of the speakers. The atmosphere was relaxed and the audience was diverse in not only race but age. A group of college students poured into the parlor, but there were also older couples and single adults seated in the audience. The DJ played a mix of oldies and new music, from Tribe Called Quest, Erykah Badu, Notorious B.I.G, and Jay-Z to Rich Homie Quan, Big Sean and Drake records.

            Bianca L. McGraw, who hosted the event, kicked off the night by letting it be known “I am not a poet.” McGraw explained the slam to be a competition for the love of the audience and the love of the judges. She explained the three minute rule the poets had to abide by. Soon enough, the crowd started shouting “BLOOD!” Being a first-timer, I was confused until McGraw informed the crowd that they have “sacrificial poets” before the poets compete and also during the intermission between the three rounds.

An exciting factor during the competition is that the audience got to boo or clap each grade the poet was received by five judges on a 1 to 10 scale. By the way, “tens are almost mythical,” said McGraw. After the audience expressed their feedback, McGraw would say “Applaud the poet not the points.” It was truly a fun and engaging event. Three rounds of neck-and-neck competition went on throughout the night. Each round, the order was different.

 Tom Dreitlein was the first poet to grace the stage in the first round with a slamming opening performance. “To the girl who would not break, I’m here” is a line that stuck with me. Ten Thousand, a poet who won an earlier competition previously personally did best in my opinion in the third round, performing a poem about his weight. Apparently, the judges agreed because he received two 10s, which was the first time this happened that night. Brandon Williamson, the creator of Pure Ink Poetry, was next. This was a favorite of mine which consisted of him comparing relationships to the game of Spades. “If you renege, you should’ve stuck to solitaire,” said Williamson.

Ben Brindise is one of the most heavily lyrical poets I’ve ever witnessed in my life. In fact, I think it took me a while to comprehend everything. His last poem, Hash Browns stuck out to me, bringing forth a play on words with the title but was actually about a complex relationship. “I want a single bedroom home, you want a-part-ment complexes.” After that line was complete greatness. Izzy X’s performances were eye-openers. I enjoyed his first round, where he performed a poem touching on trans-misogyny.

“To me slam competitions are a lot of fun and a bonding experience. It's something that I will reminisce about with the other poets for a long time. But, I also think it's an important way to learn how we all work with a crowd, and what some of our strengths and weaknesses might be as a team, so we can start working to better those weaknesses” said Dreitlein.

What is Brindise's personal goal? “My goal is two parts. The first is to do justice to the piece, to try to perform it as optimally as possible. You want each listener to get your best every time. The second part is resonance. I want the audience to remember me. Even if they forget the piece or the words I want them to remember how I made them feel, how I shook them, if only for a moment.”

Personally, rap music is poetry with a beat. When asked whether rap was considered poetry, Dreitlein said, “Rap is without a doubt a form of poetry to me, in my opinion it isn't really even up for discussion. That being said, all songs are poems to me, poems put to music. I think rap is more often equated to poetry though because of the emphasis rappers put on lyricism and meaning in their work.”

Brindise somewhat agrees, saying, “Under the umbrella of poetry falls lyric, so yes, anything with lyrics can technically be called poetry. However, when considering the quality of the poetry I think we can agree ‘That's why we seize the moment/ try freeze it and own/ squeeze it and hold it/ cause we consider these minutes golden’ is a bit more poetic than "Two chains, but I probably got a few on".

In the end, Dreitlein won first place with a whopping 86.9 points and was given a championship belt. Williamson followed closely behind by two points with 86.7 points. Brindise came in third place. Ten Thousand came in fourth and Izzy X took fifth place. I was moved by every poem and I left feeling inspired. I watched these poets genuinely commend each other after each performance. Local poets got to flex their literary muscles and it was a lyrical exercise for our brains as well. Competitions such as the Pure Ink Poetry Slamtastic Slam have put Buffalo on the map, being the only monthly running poetry slam here. Wish them luck on the road to compete in the Poetry Slam Incorporated National Slam Competition.

Hip Hop vs Higher Education: Dawn of Justice

Is hip-hop worthy of higher education? Will hip-hop themed courses ever be taken seriously in academia? Since the rise of hip-hop, universities have offered many hip-hop courses and have incorporated influential hip-hop artists’ catalogues into college syllabi. Today, the course itself and teaching hip-hop itself remain controversial. The group of hip-hop artists that make music highlighting their college experiences while opting for a more conscious approach are occasionally looked over. College doesn’t respect hip-hop and hip-hop doesn’t glorify college.

Over the years, hip-hop has become an extremely influential movement around the world. Hip-hop is more than just music, it is a culture that impacts society, connected ethnicities and infiltrated the masses. During the 1970s in the Bronx, hip-hop was born by the founding father, DJ Kool Herc. The foundation of hip-hop includes breakdancing by B-boys/B-girls, DJs, emceeing, beat boxing, fashion and more. The elements, which were formerly localized, have risen at an exponential rate, starting from South Bronx to places like South Korea. The major layers that make up Hip-Hop have grown tremendously, like the graffiti scene in inner city neighborhoods expanding into museums, rap battles went from taking place in alleys to televised platforms, breakdancing in underground clubs to worldwide competitions, and rap performances in basements now fill the airwaves across the world.

Although these components have successfully crossed over on a major scale, the transition into classrooms is not taken as serious. The concern is not only the value of these courses, but the importance of avoiding exploitation and culture appropriation. As the culture elevates and courses invade predominantly white universities, some feel it can be looked at as appropriation due its harsh and poverty stricken beginnings. Who should teach the course is also a factor because authenticity is important.

Former beat boxer, B-boy, and University at Buffalo professor, Dr. Kushal Bhardwaj who teaches ‘Hip-hop and Social Issues says, “Legitimacy and authenticity is not exclusively tied to race. You can’t teach people how to be black but you can have people study socially, historically, and culturally what it has meant to be black. If hip-hop culture makes a white kid more conscious of who Malcolm X really was or who the Black Panthers really were, and it makes them consciously say ‘maybe these cops need to stop shooting us because police brutality isn’t exclusively done to black folk’, then that’s the point.”

On the opposing side, many are reluctant to bring hip-hop culture into the classroom due to the negative stereotype. Universities fear the suggestive lyrics, dance moves, attire, and videos can lead to risky behavior. Alex Beam, a columnist from the Boston Globe, claims the study of hip-hop is not suitable for academic study describing it as “celebration of ignorance, gangster-ism...and violence against women.” But, this is merely a reflection of the aspect of hip-hop they were exposed to. However, when examining these suggestive lyrics, videos, et cetera, courses tied in with sociology, women studies, film and history arise.

“There are generational and racial disdain with hip-hop and that is the same way that mainstream society called rock and roll “jungle music. That fear reflects broader societies’ lack of understanding of black culture and history. Certain departments don’t get it and I’m afraid sometimes, they won’t get it. There is a growing population, a progressive population, of not just African American departments but like sociology, history, and communications,” says Bhardwaj.

City College of New York student and music artist Arthur ‘Ar-Stylez’ Baton says, “Pursuing higher education does not take away from your authenticity, in fact it does the opposite, it adds on. As an artist, the more you learn, the more you can tell. Sharing your experiences and stories with the World. As people, we should seek and take pride in learning both inside & outside the classroom on a consistent basis.”

Rappers like J Cole and Childish Gambino are current artists who don’t shy away from delivering lyrics about their college experiences. Kanye West put out a legendary album named “The College Dropout,” where he encouraged the youth to make their own decisions and not let society tell them what to do and for him college was one of those things. This doesn’t mean he is against college, it actually promotes entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, some hip-hop artists refrain from talking about higher education because of many factors like radio play, their image, the false impression that they have to live up to negative stereotypes, and or simply because they aren’t exposed to it.

“Speaking as an artist who is attending college, pursuing a college education is very time-consuming, as students tend to make stressful commitments and sacrifices to excel. Being an artist, stressful environments and time management can affect or/and alter your creativity,” said Baton.

The scholarly work ‘The hip-hop Generation’ claims, the keys to communicating with an entire generation of young people can be found in hip-hop. Howard University, a historically black college was the first to offer a hip-hop specific course in 1991. Since then, colleges all over the United States have adopted hip-hop specific courses including top-ranked universities such as Harvard, Penn State, University of Southern California, University of California, Stanford, Rice, Duke, Princeton, and New York University. According to JET magazine, Georgetown offers a course called ‘Sociology of hip-hop: Urban Theodicy of Jay Z’ where students explore the blurred lines between his artistry and harsh upbringing.

The culture and the movement as a whole has grown. Colleges and Universities should not only continue offering hip-hop courses, but add to the culture by taking it serious. Michelle Obama chose to use rap to promote the White House’s agenda in a College Humor video this year encouraging students to attend college. Hip-hop in academia goes beyond the stereotypical gang and drug cultures to analyze the movement’s intersection with social issues, politics, academics, business, and more. Hip-hop is dominating the youth and is truly an effective way to communicate with today’s generation. Higher education and hip-hop must intersect and be valued in both arenas. Hip-hop is proven to be not only an art but also a valuable lesson.

JET Magazine: Hip-Hop 101 - Which musicians have courses named after them?

Guess how many Hip-Hop artists' have college courses labeled after them ? Though teaching Hip-Hop remains controversial, plenty of universities are modeling their courses after influential hip-hop musicians. Hip-hop courses have grown rapidly popular throughout the years. Check out below to see if your favorite artist has a course named after them below



Click link HERE

Personality Profile: Justin Ceniza

            Justin Ceniza, also known as ‘Jay C’, plays a huge part in keeping the hip-hop culture alive on the University of Buffalo campus. The ‘UB Breakdance Club’ has an exhilarating hip-hop scene worth looking into. The Westchester native and Long Island resident is the senior adviser and former vice president for the UB Breakdance organization. Ceniza is a senior year student majoring in exercise science. Although if he had to go for a Plan B, it would definitely be something arts, theater and dance oriented.

Coming from an education oriented family and being a first generation Filipino in the United States, dancing wasn’t in the plan. Like most parents, Ceniza’s mother and father were uncertain about him dancing at first, due to their strong belief in education being a primary focus. Rome wasn’t built in a day but he is appreciative of the eventual support he has received after expressing his love for the art form to his family.

Growing up, the first rapper that Justin took to was Joe Budden, attributable to him watching the street dancing film “You Got Served.” This film featured Joe Budden’s hit record “Pump It Up,” which triggered his interest for the dance scene. However, when he is geared up to dance or simply practice, he’s listening to break beats from the likes of DJ Lean Rock, DJ Fleg, and a range of others. His favorite dancer happens to be Neguin, a Brazilian native B-boy.

Eat, sleep and dance is Jay C’s routine outside of his studies. “The man who practices a thousand punches once will always be defeated by the man who practices one punch a thousand times” is his go-to quote supporting his reasoning on why dancing is solely the leisure activity he chooses to focus on.

Ceniza has been dancing for about seven years. Break dancing specifically holds a significant part of his life, but not all of it. Starting off with break dancing, over the past two years he has added Latin ballroom dance, modern hip-hop choreography, salsa, and bachata. He frequently reaches out to other student association clubs on campus to learn different forms of dance, which encourages unity among college organizations.

The UB Breakdance Club, founded in 2006, is one of if not the most influential clubs on University of Buffalo’s campus. The longevity of this organization is truly an achievement. Ceniza attributes this to Buffalo being far away from New York City’s hip-hop scene, therefore making their club easily noticeable.

“We definitely try to inspire other people to learn about the dance, the culture, and what makes Hip-Hop so great,” Ceniza said. Students often join their club due to their admiration of the art form. Many times, when others watch them dance, they instantly become eager to learn. The UB Breakdance Club prides it selves on a technique called ‘Each One, Teach One’. Justin emphasized the technique to be “Whenever we see someone off to the side and they are just watching us, we can definitely tell they can be curious. We talk to them and say ‘Hey, Would you like to learn something?’” Overall, this club is very welcoming and looks for dedication in their members.

 “People think that breaking and hip-hop is an intimidating culture, people may think the music is too hard, scary or dynamic for them but were all the same in the sense that people can be shy. Don’t be afraid to get to know one another,” Justin said. The most rewarding part of it all to Justin is what people say about them and the reputation they build. Tony Wang, President of the UB Breakdance Club says, “We want to change the stereotype of Hip-Hop. We host workshops and teach others. We are trying to instill our work ethic for the generation behind us and maintain our presence on campus.”

Everything takes hard work and they have truly built their reputation from the ground up. Their organization has grown, not only in size, but also in reputation and that’s the goal of it all. Thanks to Justin Ceniza and the members of the UB Breakdance Club, hip-hop culture is able to survive on this college campus.

About

Could Hip-Hop possibly be taken as an elective? The goal is to explore the culture, impact and history of Hip Hop on college campuses. We plan on discussing the undertone surrounding Hip-Hop and its presence on college campuses. Hip-Hop is globally influential and is growing in academia. We’ll be discussing these topics with hip-hop influenced students themselves, DJs, music organizations, plus college professors and officials.