The Spoken Word Revolution: Slam, Hip Hop & the Poetry of a New Generation
by Billy Collins

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Book Reviews of The Spoken Word Revolution: Slam, Hip Hop & the Poetry of a New Generation

Book Review: Maybe this was conceived as a classroom aid for 12 yr olds?
Summary: 3 Stars

OK.. I simply have to start criticising (sorry.. dissing!) now!!! This is NOT a book!!!!! It is an overblown CD booklet, that accompanies a poorly programmed CD. The chunky, impressive graphics on the front run all through, it is double spaced also.. That all adds up to make this a very light tome indeed. The poems are bad.. sorry.. awful and really do not stand up to being in print.

I also feel the scholarship is shoddy in the extreme. Apparently Hip-Hop style rapping comes from the Caribbean via Kool Herc.. which is oversimplified to the point of being just plain WRONG! Nothing about word play such as the dozens, lining-out, or even simple facts such as the historic suppression of Literacy of Blacks (via slavery). They do name drop some worthy candidates such as Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, the Last Poets and Paul Laurence Dunbar.. but that's all they do.. just names. By the way I think these are all marvellous poets.. So in conclusion the book is just self serving hype, and pretty poor hype at that.

so... My book is in the bin.. that leaves the CD which is a narrated walk through, rather than a collection per se. AND hence the three stars, it has it's worthy moments! So here is Slam on it's own terms, and a much more honest document too. I wish they had just decided to release a CD!

For the Hip-Hopper curious about poetry like myself, here is a much better introduction:

"Our Souls Have Grown Deep Like the Rivers: Black poets read their Work" 2CD (with a fantastic informative booklet!! Includes a few tracks of Slam including Saul Williams)

"The Vintage Book of African American Poetry" Book (no Slamming here, but the Black performance poet Don L Lee is present, and MUCH MORE besides!!)

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