Def Poetry – Australia represent

Monday, June 8th, 2009 | News

For a while now I’ve been asking the Very Good audience to help me out with a question… Where the poets at?

There is a growing hip hop community in Australia and New Zealand, and yet I don’t see a whole lot of poets on the scene. Well it turns out i’m just a busy kid who hasn’t opened his eyes to the right direction, and unfortunately the audience have been as unproductive as I have on this one.

So Thursday night I take one of the most art filled journeys I have ever experienced in one evening, kicking it off with a poetry break at Melbourne’s state library on Swanston St. Ok, so this evening was really amazing for me given that I was taken along to basically exactly what I want see the community getting behind. If I were to go through my head space on the evening, or describe exactly what I thought of each poet and performer on this evening, this article would be as long as my driveway, so lets have some of them speak for themselves, firstly with the man of the evening for me, Si

Si – Victoria’s Slam Poetry champion

So this next group just took me by surprise, because I haven’t ever actually seen and aboriginal rap crew, and so the first I have being one that had a positive message, and what seemed to be 3 extremely gentle, focused, strong Australian men, with a clear message of positivity, putting in work all around Australia… and I was just like… what the F&*^ – have I had my eyes closed or what?

Tjimba & The Yung Warriors feat Outlawz – For The People

So as if this wasn’t enough for one evening, there was another, and another, and another who took my eye on the evening, however the ‘Melbourne State Library’ website has been down for a few days now, so i’ll have to catch you up on an artist whom I think was called Miriahanga when it kicks back into action.

If your into Slam Poets, you can also check out Omar Musa who took out the Australian champs last year.

Or head along to one of these poetry nights in Melbourne at:

www.slv.vic.gov.au

…bs

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1 Comment to Def Poetry – Australia represent

Claire Pittman
June 10, 2009

You want Mihirangi
http://www.myspace.com/kulchanation
http://www.mihirangi.com/

So glad you enjoyed the program!
Claire Pittman
Events Project Officer
State Library of Victoria

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