Hip-hop community slams Bush at Miami poetry event

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San Jose Mercury News (California)

October 8, 2004 Friday

LENGTH: 659 words

HEADLINE: Hip-hop community slams Bush at Miami poetry event

BYLINE: Davey D

BODY:
It was a night to remember as close to 2,000 people jammed into Miami Beach's hottest nightspot: Club Mansion. This swanky venue, which was owned by Prince under the name Glam Slam over the past couple of years, had morphed into a gathering spot for the music industry elite and other high-profile celebrities and trendsetters. On the eve of last week's first presidential debate between John Kerry and George W. Bush, it was ground zero for hip-hop and hip-hop activism as Club Mansion was host to the finals of the Nationwide Slam Bush Rap and Poetry Contest.

The winner was a young woman from Pittsburgh named Vanessa German, who beat 14 finalists who had dueled over the past two months in rap-poetry contests in more than 30 cities around the country. (I had the privilege of being a judge for a portion of the contest.) A special emphasis was placed on setting up contests in the crucial electoral swing states, including German's native Pennsylvania.

Her winning rap spoke to the realities affecting her community, which included young men going to war, loss of jobs in the 'hood and her own inability to afford medical care for herself and her family over the past five years. Her winning performance brought a huge ovation from the capacity crowd, who cheered even more enthusiastically when the man who stood at the podium next to her in a Bush costume ripped off his mask and walked off the stage to symbolize his defeat. In fact, when the all-star panel of judges gave her the nod and she realized she had won the $5,000 prize, German broke down in tears and told the audience that the first thing she intended to do was go to the doctor and check on her medical conditions.

In a subsequent interview, German spoke about the upcoming debates and the 2004 election. She said that she didn't believe any candidate would come to the table and bring forth the honesty and compassion that so many people are yearning for. She said her ultimate hope was not so much for a Bush loss and a Kerry victory as it was for people to be awakened and moved to action by the lack of response and attention given to important issues and realities affecting the 'hood that neither candidate is addressing. She's looking for more then just cosmetic change.

The many on hand at the Slam Bush finals in Miami included the Grammy-winning group the Roots, singer Jill Scott, Chuck D of Public Enemy, underground rap phenomenon Wordsworth, Showtime's ''American Candidate'' finalist Malia Lazu, MTV freestyle champ Wreckonize, Uncle Luke from the 2 Live Crew, nationally syndicated radio hosts the Baker Boyz, dozens of local Miami artists and of course the 14 Slam Bush finalists. Closer to home, also on hand were members from Bay Area organizations like Youth Speaks, Uma Productions, Free Range Graphics, MOHCUE and the League of Pissed Off Voters, who all organized the contest.

Jessica Tully, a longtime political activist with the women's collective Uma Production, noted that the finals were held in Miami on the eve of the debate to make sure that the hip-hop community had a presence during this historic occasion. And while neither Kerry nor Bush showed up, there was no doubt judging by the overwhelming response to the contest that the efforts behind Slam Bush and similar activities targeting the hip-hop community were felt. Throngs of media were on hand to cover the activities as well as the hourlong press conference.

A compilation album that will include the Slam Bush performances as well as many of the songs submitted will be released by the end of next week. Many of the Slam Bush contestants will be traveling to swing states to perform and help raise voter awareness. At the contest, there were reports of an increase of 12 million registered voters among the hip-hop generation. The next challenge will be getting them to the polls.

Davey D's hip-hop column is published biweekly in Eye. Contact him at mrdaveyd@aol.com

LOAD-DATE: October 8, 2004