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On Feb. 7, activists and supporters of the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War & End Racism) converged on the Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center in East Harlem to celebrate the elements of Hip Hop at the biggest Lyrical Revolt to date. The concert event was the 10th such Lyrical Revolt in New York City and the first to be organized as a night of closed-list performers, instead of an open mic. The event paid tribute to the elements of hip hop: Emceeing, Spoken Word, DJing, Graffiti, B-Boying, and of course… Revolution! Throughout the night Poets and MCs stressed the importance of organizing a movement to stop the wars “from Brooklyn to Baghdad”: from the war on poor people at home to the imperialist wars abroad. Many performers encouraged the audience to attend the March 21st March on the Pentagon in Washington, DC.
The event featured Division X, Rebel Diaz, ReadNex Poetry Squad, Hasan Salaam and other well-known emcees who promote revolutionary struggle as well as education in their lyrics. Also featured was DJ Chela who kept the crowd moving, and a crew of breakdancers who took the place by storm with flashy windmills and ridiculous headspins (and anything else you can think of). Click here to view a slideshow from the event.
Lyrical Revolt has lived up to its name, providing a steady flow of progressive and revolutionary artists who use their cultural expressions as a way to inspire political activity and spark political consciousness. The next one is scheduled to take place in three months. Stay in touch and be on the lookout for information on how to attend or participate in the next one.
