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"Open your hearts, open your minds and prepare to absorb these words," Malik Yusef, one of Chicago's premier spoken word poets, said of the poetry at "The Live Poetry Jam."
Yusef performs spoken word poetry: he recites poems - often improvising - to the beat of background music. Despite the sound of his work, Yusef does not consider himself strictly a rapper. Instead, he has called poetry the "newest form of music." His poems are intelligent and innovative, combining humor and cultural tidbits with raw emotions and serious subject matter.
Last Wednesday, Zip's in CFSU's lower level opened its doors to poet Yusef and any students willing to accept Yusef's challenge. Zip's was jam-packed with students waiting to hear the emotionally driven poetry jam. Crowds continued to grow throughout the night, overflowing Zip's chairs, tables and the event's time slot. The jam, scheduled from 7 to 9 p.m., lasted nearly four hours. No one seemed to mind, and crowds lingered even after the event was finished.
The event was worthy of attendance if only to see Yusef, who is one of Chicago's premier poets. Though much of his work is underground, he is quickly making his way into the spotlight. However, Yusef was not a lone-jammer. His performance was accompanied by other worthwhile performances. Among these were acts by acclaimed Chicago poet Ben Ali, other Chicago area poets, members of Loyola's staff and even students with their own original works. Chicago's own Dawi and Friends kept the beat for the jammers.
Yusef himself acted as the master of ceremonies, welcoming performers to the stage and congratulating their performances afterward. The themes discussed covered a wide range of issues, including sex, love, body-image and race.
Despite the poems' varying subjects, the poets of the jam all made a clear connection to black history. Many of the poems the students recited alluded the tensions and prejudices among races, specifically invovling African Americans and Chicago's South Side. Yusef directly addressed such issues:
"We all have one spirit, one soul," Yusef said. "We just have trouble realizing it sometimes."
Yusef has been speaking similar words for nearly a decade. Yusef grew up in the often notorious South Side of Chicago. Yusef's experiences on the South Side have provided inspiration for much of his work. Many of his poems verses bring serious and sometimes taboo problems encountered throughout Chicago to the surface. By speaking about issues, Yusef encourages his audience to remember problems exist.
"If things aren't talked about," Yusef said, "we risk forgetting them."
As he became more serious about his work as a poet, Yusef became known professionally as the Wordsmyth. The Wordsmyth first began to receive national acclaim after a short piece featured in the movie "Love Jones." From there, Yusef continued using his original style to break his way to the top. He has been featured on HBO's "Def Poetry" and albums by critically acclaimed recording artists such as Carl Thomas, Kanye West, Twista and Common.
As for Yusef, his work has little chance of being forgotten. The sometimes shocking words and messages of Yusef's poems are difficult to disregard.
Despite his undeniable talent in the eyes of his audiences, the continually rising heights of Yusef's current fame were not always as certain. Getting his own album produced proved more difficult. Yusef originally had to convince producers that poetry was a valid form of record entertainment.
The Wordsmyth has now released his own albums. "The Great Chicago Fire … A Cold Day In Hell" was released to the public in 2003. Another highly-anticipated album by Yusef is expected to be released within the next year. Today, Yusef, whose visit was sponsored by the Union Programming Board and the office of student diversity as part of Black History Month, is considered one of the country's top spoken-word poets.
Despite the influence he's acquired with fame, Yusef acknowledge that the even non-famous can have an impact on racial problems.
"It's up to everyone to help change," Yusef said.
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