'Def Poetry' Saves Hip-hop

As I was scouring the internet for CD and DVDs to review in this issue, I noticed Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry: Season 5 released on DVD two weeks prior. Pissed off because this was the second time I missed the chance to put the show into the magazine (Season Six wrapped up on HBO in the Spring), I decided I would have to write a Last Word piece about Def Poetry, not just about the show but it's impact on pop culture.\nThe tagline for the show is 'A powerful expression in hip-hop'. That's a great tagline; but what is hip-hop? Hip-hop is the music of the youth and urban culture. At its best, hip-hop is a voice for the voiceless. In the 90s, rap pioneer Chuck D said hip-hop is the "black CNN." I am going to stay with this analogy, the culture of Hip-hop as a news network. \nLet's see what's on...\n...Three Six Mafia just settled into their new Beverly Hills home on "Hollyhood." Will these Memphis kings be able to survive in Lala land? Stay tuned... in other news 50 Cent is feuding with the entire rap industry, holding up the release of his next album. Sources close to the rapper said Fiddy will end the feud only after someone shoots him thus bolstering his 'street cred' into the stratosphere .... We'll end tonight's broadcast with breaking news. Justin Timberlake, aka JT, just brought sexy back!\n(click)\nOK, so maybe that is not the type of news network Chuck D had in mind when he made that statement (and in that regard, what does Chuck D think of Flava of Love?), but that's the state of hip-hop right now. \nNotice the broadcast failed to mention the war in Iraq. The broadcast failed to mention the unpopular Bush administration. The broadcast failed to mention the rising costs of health care and college tuition. The broadcast failed to mention the negative effect that cocaine and crystal meth is having on American families. \nThe broadcast failed us. \nSo, what is hip-hop? Hip-hop is broken. 'Def Poetry' and the Def Poets are doing trying to save it.\nThe Def Poetry movement is spearheaded by Mos Def and Talib Kweli, the Bob Dylan and Neil Young of our generation. Mos is the host of the show, and the voice. Kweli is his longtime friend a frequent 'Def Poetry' performer. Whenever either of these two artists drops a record, the hip-hop world pays attention. Mos Def even got a shot in at Jay-Z a couple years back without Jay reciprocating. Common is another rap artist prominently featured on 'Def Poetry', but he loses credit in my book for appearing in commercials for The Gap.\nSaul Williams is the Jim Morrison of our time, sort of. Morrison was a self-proclaimed poet and, in the 70s, the people adored his work. On the other hand, Morrison celebrated excess and died accordingly. Williams' poetry is nothing like that of Morrison's. He is socially responsible and at the same time so far out there that I still don't entirely understand 'Coded Language', a poem he performed on 'Def Poetry' way back in Season 2, and I have seen probably 100 times. I could go on and on about how brilliant Saul is, but you should check him out yourself.\nWhile I am a huge fan of music, hip-hop has always been my favorite genre. And it is a big genre where there is room for a Snoop Dogg and a Lil' John as well as Def Poetry. If Mos and Talib are the Bob Dylan and Neil Young of hip-hop then Lil John is the Motley Crue. There is a place for both the Crue and Lil' John in their respective genres, but artists like Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Dylan and Young wield the responsibility in their genres, respectively.\nThe purpose of this column was to get you, the reader, exposed to a different kind of music. If you are still reading, thank you. Check out Season 5 of 'Def Poetry' as it came out last week and features artists such as Dave Chappelle and Kanye West. Also, the Amir Sulaiman album will be worth listening to, I promise. 'Def Poetry' is folk music, listen accordingly.