Atlantic City Weekly

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Three of Philadelphia’s hottest spoken-word artists will be appearing at the talent competition Star 2010 at the Doris Jazz Room (128 North New Rd.) in Pleasantville this Saturday Night, Feb. 20. Doors open at 9pm and the show starts at 10pm with an open-mike competition following the opening acts. Admission is $10 and there’ll be an old-school party after the show.

In the 1970s the film genre known as Black Exploitation or “Blaxploitation” was at its height, employing record numbers of African-Americans both on film and behind the camera. Is it any wonder that in 1974 Hollywood went to one of its best directors, acclaimed photographer Gordon Parks, to direct three of Blaxploitation’s biggest stars — Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and karate champ Jim Kelly — in the classic film Three The Hard Way?

For people who love action, the film is a tour de force. For women who love sexy black men, the film presents three rough, rugged and raw dudes in their prime. The genre of Blaxploitation itself often lacked subtleties, but did present a vision of black America that wasn’t sugar-coated (though not always politically correct).

Today, the spoken-word genre, like Blaxploitation, comes straight from the streets and gives poetry an un-watered down presentation of what life is like now.

On Saturday, Feb. 20, Philadelphia’s spoken-word version of Brown, Williamson and Kelly will be taking the stage at the Doris Jazz Room for Star 2010. Reynald “Sheyster” Williams will open the show along with Perry “Vizion” Divirgilio.

After Sheyster and Vizion’s performance will be an open mike/talent competition. The judges will be DJ ILL Nino, Whitney Ullman from AC Weekly and T-Marquise Entertainment’s Robert Williams, whose artist Barbara Sheree is currently burning up the Billboard Top 100 Dance Music charts.

While the judges are picking their winner at the event, Malcolm “Damali” Mills will take the stage for a special performance.

Sheyster, Viz and Damali, like Brown, Williamson and Kelly, represent three of the best of their art form in their time.

Rey Williams can truly claim that he’s “hip-hop.” His words, style and even the titles of his poems, like “The Notorious P-O-E-T” make a direct connection to the revolutionary messages of Public Enemy and KRS-One. Lyrically, Williams has a flow (without technically rapping) that he says is inspired by rap masters Nas and Rakim. William’s goal, however, is to do poetry in the classroom. To that effect Williams will be coming back to the Jersey Shore area on Feb. 26 to perform for the students at Viking Academy for their black history program.

Standing at 6-foot-6, Vizion is hard to ignore when he steps in a room. His words on the microphone are even harder to ignore. Poetically speaking, Vizion is constantly cutting away at all the distractions that the media sugarscoats issues with; he gets at the heart of the matters of which he speaks. His poetic knife cuts both ways. Vizion rips the media, but also rips the so-called “masses” for buying everything that’s on television. Though he’s racked up both awards and press for his poetry, his mission is to inspire positive change in his listeners’ daily lives. His efforts on and off stage are mending some fences among the Philly writers in the field of poetry.

Finally, Malcolm Damali Mills is a poet and businessman who on any given day may be on stage performing solo, doing a performance with an acoustic band or fronting his rock/punk band the Dirty Saints. As an artist, Mills may have even more flavors than Baskin Robins, but like most ice cream choices, each one is a treat.

Raymond Tyler hosts the Alternative Soul Sunday Breakfast Club radio show each Sunday from 7–8am on 96.1FM WTTH - The Touch.