(the introduction of this piece contains an interpolation of Talaam Acey's "Insolence")
I'm sick of these....hypocrites
I'm sick of these nitwits claiming they don't give a shit about being
slam-winners, but then not winning and crying like some damned victims
So THIS SPELL?
THIS SPELL is for those who, left to their own devices
Misunderstood my poem "Priceless"
As me just popping some more fly shit about being the nicest
Not realizing that "Priceless"
Is poetically on some Nas "all I need is one mic" shit.
I thought I'd already done the damned thing
I thought I'd already broken down the slam thing
But it seems that cats still didn't hold the gems
I've got hometown slam heroes at out-of-town shows contending
Mad because nobody kneeled down low for them or squealed "bravo" for
them
Kind of like the New Jersey Nets, mad because the Lakers swept their
asses in four licks and sent them about their bidness
And the reason I make the parallel between slamming and basketball
Is because THEY'RE BOTH GAMES
And getting mad because you don't win a game
IS SO LAME
And assuming you'll win every last one just because you've won some
in the past, son
IS SO VAIN
And as I listened to your piece complaining about the same thing, I
knew I wouldn't sleep until I'd written a response to it
Because, as the Green Goblin said in the movie "Spider-man":
"BETRAYAL WILL NOT BE COUNTENANCED!"
What betrayal, you ask?
The betrayal of the fact that I spat a piece in a slam that you
obviously had a problem with
But when I got off the stage at the aforementioned slam
You were one of the first to say it was some hot shit
And I hope after you got off the mic, you didn't think I agreed with
you just because I gave you dap, kid
All that is is I've adapted to YOUR tactics
And I'm handling this shit the same way YOU saw fit to handle it.
You speak in your poetry about wanting people to think for themselves
But really what I think you mean is you want everyone to think like
YOU
Because you hate opinions that are different from yours and therefore
you probably hate mine, too
Don't be mad because the crowd felt me more than you
I just got the juice
I could have rocked something by Dr. Seuss
And STILL got a higher score than you!
I'm sick of these slam poets assuming all their poems will go over in
every slam the same way they do in their home venues
And I'm sick of these poets in general feeling like all "real poetry"
has to be about the same things
Just because all of THEIR poetry tends to
If that's the case, I guess I'm not a real poet
Which is fine with me; I'll settle for being AN ILLPOET
And ILLPOETS can spit about any subject and still rock the crowd from
the back row to the front row
So NO, I don't FEEL the need
to give thanks to the Creator
in 30 different languages
in the middle of a poem
just to show YO' ASS that I'm HUMBLE!
And NO, I don't FEEL the need
to name every single revolutionary from black history
in the middle of a poem
just to prove to YO' ASS that I'm down for the STRUGGLE!
Now, if YOU do, then that's cool
Do YOU!
But don't get mad in a slam when that shit doesn't get enough "AHH"s
and "OOOH"s
Then have the nerve to write a poem about how slam scores "don't
affect" you
Because evidently THEY DO!!
If I leave some beef on a table for two months, the shit will go
rotten
So why are you still beefing about some shit that's two months old as
if it's still a hot topic?
And the reason I call you schizophrenic
Is because your "self" is separate from your "self-image"
These poets enter these slams CLAIMING they couldn't care less
whether they win or lose
But in their heart of hearts, they're scared to DEATH of getting booed
But I see through you!
I'm not fooled!
Because we all talk that "I slam just for fun" talk
But bottom line, whether you came with a sex piece that would give A
NUN lustful thoughts
Or whether you came in an Armani suit with some Versace socks
Or a daishiki and locks
Or a t-shirt with a picture of Muhammad Ali on the cover of a
Wheaties box
Whether you came with a social injustice piece about how all the real
black leaders are lying safely in their caskets
Or a slam poem about how you're the baddest poet on the planet and
anyone who dares to challenge you will get their ass kicked
The fact is, you're after the same thing I'm after, kid
The fact is, we're all IN IT TO WIN IT
If not, THEN WHY THE FRICK IS YOU IN IT?!?
And I'll be the first to let you know, B
SLAMMING is not necessarily about POETRY
Maybe it's SUPPOSED to be
And we couch it in the lofty term of "performance poetry"
But you and I know that often-times, it's more-so "performance"
than "poetry"
If it was really more about the crafting than the rapping
Then I would be able to spit for three minutes on the most abstract
of abstractions and still grab the tens
But you and I know that's not happening
And I didn't write the rules of slamming
But I damn sure know how to take advantage of them!
See, that's the difference between a winner and a loser
A winner is an improviser
A loser is a boo-hoo-er
So let me let you in on a little slam secret:
Sometimes, it's your antics and your humor and your stage presence
that GET the crowd's attention
But in the end, it's your SUBSTANCE that KEEPS it
So yeah, I might clown around in the first round on some
braggadocious freestyle emcee shit
But I'm a poet with range and I talk about other things
So before the night is over, I will hit you with some deepness
But how can you pass judgment
When you didn't even stick around to SEE this?
So bottom line, your style is your style
And my style is my style
But shituations like this
Make my style get hostile
So don't play no game not knowing the rules
It's CHESS, not CHECKERS!
Don't be no fool!
Any given cat
Can win any given slam
On any given day
Slams are just funny that way!
Slamming is what it is
And if you pretend it ain't, kid
Then you'll be just another Agent Smith
In this Hater's Matrix.
"These attacks will not stand..." - George W. Bush
© 2002, Drew Anderson, all rights reserved.