iLL-Literacy’s Natural Electricity tour is bigger than poetry in NYC

November 12, 2008, at Crash Mansion

By Niema Jordan
Published: November 16th, 2008 | 10:40am

Watching Dahlak Braithwaite, Nico Cary, Ruby Veridiano-Ching, and Adriel Luis, collectively known as the spoken-word crew iLL-Literacy, rock out on stage with the ever-talented band the Hi-Lifes, I couldn’t help but feel bad for the sad faces I’d encountered hours before the group’s Natural Electricity tour hit the stage at New York’s Crash Mansion.

Anticipating a show that started at 8 p.m., a small group of college-aged kids lined up outside the venue. Disappointed that the 21-and-up rule was actually being enforced, they walked away, unable to see the San Francisco Bay Area–based collective perform Def Poetry–style pieces laced with elements of hip-hop theater.

But even if they had gotten in, they would have seen something completely different.

For more than an hour it was more a meeting of friends than a concert. The DJ played songs essential for any crowd of live music–loving, poetry-reading, slam-going, hip-hop enthusiasts. Transitioning between Mos Def, Souls of Mischief, and the Notorious B.I.G., and sprinkled it with a bit of Rick James, he created the perfect atmosphere for the performers and audience members to mix and mingle in the dimly lit lounge. And they did.

Some time around 10 p.m. the high-energy, Brooklyn-based MC Theophilus London hit the stage and performed songs from his ’80s pop–infused (think Michael Jackson and Prince) mixtape JAM! It was like the Cool Kids with more emotional content, a bit of electronica and without the bass. The crowed was hyped. A drunk girl even hoped on stage to dance with the lyricist and his crew. And London’s unique take on rhyming was a great opening for iLL-Literacy’s eclectic and genre-bending showcase of performance poetry.

One day after Braithwaite’s release of his Commencement mixtape and already deep into the promotion of Veridiano-Ching’s first book of poetry, Miss Universe, iLL-Literacy worked the stage as true team. The humorous poem “Fuck You List,” often performed solely by Cary, brought the entire group onstage with scrolls in hand as they dissed an array of things from watered down juices to people who sport Che Guevera shirts without really knowing anything about the revolutionary. They also did a great performance of Luis’ “Self-Hate’s Soliloquy,” where they speak to the role of self-hate in modern society as well as throughout history.

But playing as a unit didn’t necessarily translate into a slew of group pieces. Braithwaite performed songs from both his mixtape and his debut album Dual Consciousness. At times, Cary seemed ready to crowd surf in the middle of pieces. Luis had a presence so strong it was easy to ignore the funky animal-ear hat he wore. And Veridiano-Ching, well, she looked and danced like a rock star when performing pieces from her book.

Even the Hi-Lifes had stage time of their own. With an electrifying rendition of James Brown’s “Man’s World,” they showed that they were more than a band as they played funk, rock, and soul behind poetry.

That night at Crash Mansion was better than a concert — it was an organic, yet well orchestrated jam session with musicians, poets, and artists. Those poor souls outside missed more than poetry — they missed Natural Electricity.

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coo1hand1uke (over 3 years)
Great write up Mix Jordan! Love the pic too!! Reading your piece, I was almost able to envision being there. Venus, thanks for bringing us such a great writer! Oakland produces the best