The Rocket

Issue date: 2/1/08 Section: Focus

Media Credit: Submitted Photo The poetry duo, The 5th L, perform at Club Sonar in Baltimore. They will be performing at SRU on Feb. 8, with solo acts E-Baby and DJ Tao. [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Submitted Photo E-Baby, a poet from Maryland, said he looks forward to performances at universities because he usually gets more stage time. [Click to enlarge]

Although many may believe poetry is a dying art form, modern poets have discovered new ways to reinvent the art.

SRU students will have the opportunity to experience these new innovations firsthand on Feb. 8, when the University Program Board's Weekend Events Committee hosts a Poetry Slam in which students can hear the creative works of three unique acts.

The acts featured will be The 5th L, E-Baby and DJ Tao. The performances will start at 6 p.m. at Rocky's Grille in the University Union.

Uju Anyaogu, the vice president of the weekend events committee, discovered and booked the acts at the most recent National Association for Campus Activities Conference.

"NACA is a conference where we go and network and meet a lot of people," said Anyaogu, a 19-year-old sophomore biology major.

Additionally, Anyaogu said that not only does she get event ideas and connections through NACA conferences, but also through magazines and advertisements that are sent to UPB.

The point of the weekend events committee is to give students something to do while they have free time during the weekends, and to keep students on campus.

"(The committee) is to promote retention because a lot of students go home," Anyaogu said, "and also to give students something fun and positive to do."

One act, The 5th L, is a group act consisting of two poets, David Ross and Femi Lawal, who prefer to go by "Native Son" and "The Dri Fish," respectively. They are both from Baltimore.

Lawal said the group started in 2003 and originally had five members.

"By 2004, two guys were left to keep the torch burning: Native Son and myself," Lawal said.

Lawal also said the duo is influenced by a variety of things.

"The both of us are heavily influenced by musical lyrics and artistic expression in just about any form," Lawal said. "We combine writing poetry and high-animated hip-hop-fueled energy as our vehicle to express ourselves."

As for the material they intend to use for the show, Lawal said it's still up in the air.

"We'll just go through our library," he said. "Anything can stumble out."

Lawal said that their material is typically about issues and concerns they have and feel very strongly about.

"We're usually socially charged, and we come from a city where you can't help but notice that more needs to be done and we need to speak up about the injustices, neglect and crime."

Eric Smith, who goes by the stage name of E-Baby, will be the second act at the Poetry Slam.

E-Baby, also from Maryland, said his interest in poetry sprang from his interest in rhythm.

"As a kid, I loved to hear poetry because of the rhymes," E-Baby said. "I loved paying attention to the story within the poem. That's what kept my attention."

Additionally, Smith said he likes to use his poetry as an avenue of expression.

"I like poetry because of my ability to tell a story, make a point and express my personal opinions," E-Baby said.

As for his material for the show at SRU, he said he plans on offering a little something for everyone.

"I plan on using some poetry geared towards men, some to women, some to both sexes," he said. "It will be happy, sad, thoughtful-a little bit of everything."

E-Baby also added that what sets him apart from other poetry acts is his method of delivery.

"We all tend to be different in front of the mic," E-Baby said. "Some poets are animated, some poets are laid back. I try to (convey) all emotions throughout my poetry feature."

E-Baby is also looking forward to coming to SRU because at university performances, he gets more time on stage.

"Poetry venues give you 15 to 20 minutes," E-Baby said. "At colleges I have 40 minutes to an hour."

E-Baby also added that although he has been doing poetry for awhile, he still gets nervous when he takes the stage.

"I might be the only poet that always gets nervous on stage," E-Baby said. "It never fails. I have to make sure I memorize all of the poems that I want to do on stage or else the paper I read off of will shake."

The third act for the Poetry Slam is performer Nick Webster, or DJ Tao, from Washington, D.C.

DJ Tao is not only a poet, but also a disc jockey, lyricist and producer.

"I became interested in writing poetically while in college," DJ Tao said. "I would include poetry/prose excerpts in some of my papers I would write in my philosophy courses. But I didn't really get the idea of doing spoken word until I saw the movie "Slam" with Saul Williams. Once I saw what they were doing, I just knew that I had to do it too."

Taking advantage of his master's degree in philosophy, DJ Tao likes to incorporate deep philosophical messages in his work as well as touching on issues that he finds important.

"I like to write about just about anything," he said. "I try to stay versatile and avoid pigeonholing myself by becoming repetitive and predictable. That being said, I tend to write about things that are in some way controversial like race, religion or politics, or somehow dear to my heart like relationships or dreams."

In all, the three acts for the Poetry Slam have different material and delivery styles that make them unique, but they also share many similarities that will tie them together in the show, such as their collective focus on important issues and the incorporation of music and hip-hop into their material.

E-Baby believes that students should come to the free show for many reasons, but mostly to enjoy the experience.

"Don't come to see me," E-Baby said. "Come to hear poetry. Poetry is a tool that can educate, enlighten, touch emotions and feelings, and change minds."

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