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SouL-R Interview with Spin Outside Oasis Duel of the Iron Mic Sunday September 26, 2004 SouL-R: Greetings, I'm here outside of Oasis with Spin and his bredren after the Duel of the Iron Mic. Spin, you just came off a victory, the iron mic championships. I think, 3 time champion now? What is it 4 times? Spin: 4 times... SouL-R: The accolades it's all good man.... But what drives you to do your poetry? As well, the type of poetry you do. Do you view yourself as a revolutionary, as an artist...? Spin: The whole label thing, artist, revolutionary, or poet ... I think I'm just really writing from the soul like I'm not really out to get a certain label or a fame but you know I guess revolutionary is ... it's an honor if I'm viewed that way. I'm not trying to pit myself in that way. Because I think there's a lot more to being a revolutionary than just the convictions and the Poetry right? It's like a whole way of life, right? I'm in the process of that discipline. But I'm not quite there yet. As far as the motivation, it's really just me needing a medium to try to convey a message to as many people as possible. And I have come to find in this last year that poetry has been an excellent avenue for me to try to spread a certain message and Poetry has really become my mission. Whatever changes I want to see in the world. I want to affect them through the poetry and whether it is me kickin it at the IronMic kickin the poems or going to schools... Or going to school to speak with the kids that's my main goal right now. I'm really checkin for how can I connect with these youth. And I've really found it in the poetry-rap kinda thing that I'm doing cuz it's not really the sonnets or the haiku's and shit. The sun, the hue was a colour green ...it's none of that shit. It's just like real and the kids can relate to it. I found that, that really allows me to connect with them. I think that's really it right now, the youth. SouL-R: For real! Is there something else that inspires you to do poetry and... Is there Certain people like artists or like individuals in your life or from the past like artists and historical figures that inspire you to do poetry as well.. Spin: I have to say contemporary Immortal Technique, Saul Williams Another would be Travis Blackman ...he's um very good. Historically, that poet that I mentioned in the slam today. I don't know if you caught it. He was a poet from Guatemala. He's a huge inspiration to me cuz this brother was like a renowned poet like everyone just loved his poetry he got international awards. He went to Germany he went everywhere with the poetry... Basically he gave up the luxurious lifestyle, or the accolades that he received which are hard to get as a poet on an international level. He gave that up to come back home to join the guerrilla forces the revolutionary forces and fight to break down the military system. And like I said in the poem He was tortured and burned alive and his poetry is not recognized on an international level. But, to me his memory and seeing how he lived out what he was saying that's a huge inspiration to me. His name was Otto Rene Castillo. SouL-R: That's inspiration on many level! (pause) Aside from the inspirational forces as an artist competing in poetry shows how do you feel about poetry as a competition and the whole aspect of the competition in poetry? Spin: It's good man. I think if you can just be clear about what you're doing!! Fuck it we're all taking the streetcar home at the end of the competition. The only way you win the slam is if you capture the audience. There is a lot of anti-slam sentiment. It's not about me that's why I like slams, We're sharing our lyricism our skill and there's no animosity between us. I think if there are like 8 people competing for a cash prize. The audience will be more entertained by that and more intrigued by it than just...It adds enthusiasm to it it brings life to it. It's really about having fun. Friend: It's like hip-hop man it's all about battling skills. SouL-R: Seen! Right now you're dealing with the whole initiative of the Pueblo Unido, can you explain. Firstly, ...what that means and what is your objective for the initiative? Spin: Our objective, ... Pueblo Unido means the People United... The whole concept came from when I was back home, a lot of our Latin American countries grew protest movements that were demanding human rights against all the atrocities and all the violence that we went through we had a chance and that chance was Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido! ... The people united would never be defeated. And they'd go out there and they'd be like El Pueblo Unido Jamas Sera Vencido! And there was just an energy and a vibration that was built out of that. So I felt like you know it would be important to start an artist's collective under the name Pueblo Unido you know the People United and so we got my man Juan, Columbian Brothers, we got Shawna, we got sister Rafeef she's a Palestinian poet. She's amazing man, y'all have to hear Rafeef, y'all haven't even heard her.. she's nice! We're representing a lot of different Races, Cultures, Convictions and Beliefs even. Some of us are about peace some of us are about armed struggle but you know we're uniting and we've got not only the cultural level, but like the elements of art we're representing. We've got my man Juan, b-boy, break dancer, graffiti artist, MC we've got musicians, Shawna Dixon singing, she can sing her ass off too. Poetry, Rafeef with the poetry. Myself too, we got a whole lot of different elements. So are whole vibe is to form this collective and just throw ourselves into the whole solidarity movement. A lot of us in the solidarity movement and to a certain extent in the poetry movement, it's like we're dead. Like we need to start having some fun... For real, when you're looking at these protests like overseas, like these movements, they're having they're fun man and they're dealing with some heavy shit... Like we live in Toronto, we're not worrying about getting tortured and getting thrown into jail cells and shit. Just the fact that we have bloc parties and that we have this collective set- up. I think it's already showing community. But when we do it, together it worth more. All of us can be like yo we ripped it instead of just I ripped it. (All three of us ponder for a second) SouL-R: (to Spin's friend) what do you do man? Friend: Spin: We call him Ghost Ghost: Film & web designer SouL-R: I see a Renaissance man! (Pause) SouL-R: I have two more questions for you I'll make it easy on you Spin. What's your favorite piece or do you have a favorite piece? Spin: No...my favorite piece straight was a piece I performed in Cuba man. In "Spanish" which is a basically my... ah, ah fuck I don't even know what the translation is. What would be the translation? Like It's me, it's my complaints not really my complaints it's a stronger word my criticism my the fuckin whatever the word is against Capitalism. In the piece I'm just starting to break down Capitalism... I performed it in Cuba in Spanish man, for like the hip-hop youth down there it was a hip-hop show, I was the only poet everybody else was rapping like I wasn't even on a rap tip. I just did this poem in Spanish from the heart with these Cuban youth that are you know livin a revolution. And man they loved it like...that's my favorite piece just because of the memories and bonds that it allowed me to form that night. SouL-R: What's the name again? Spin: "Spanish...Capitalism" SouL-R: Yo, I think you just answered my next question. Was that your most memorable performance? ... Spin: Like on the real ... Cuba is definitely like my heart. Like that performance in Cuba is definitely my heart. But I have been goin to this alternative High School, Contact Alternative and I've been dealing with the Youth, there are a lot of youth dealing with issues, at risk youth. I deal with these youth that know life... You know what I mean they got like young mothers in there. You got youth that know real life at an early age instead of being worried about you know like the next Playstation 2 game ... and I was granted the opportunity to go speak to them. I've been there like 3 times now and this last time I went... Man before I even started speaking it was like when they introduced me the youth started going nuts man, and it was crazy cuz it was like when I finish a slam poem like there's these really nice kids... and the crowd's going nuts and that's how it was before I even started speaking. And when I finished some of the youth they gave me a standing ovation and shit man and to me it was like special man...Big Up Contact Alternative. Big Up all the youth from contact... For me, there is nothing more important than being able to connect with the youth... There is nothing more important. The performance in Cuba and this experience working with the youth has been the most memorable and I know I got many more to come but the youth and Cuba for real!! SouL-R: For Real! That's how you keep it real... How can people get a hold of you? Spin: www.pueblounido.org, spin@pueblounido.org Soul-R: Thank You Spin Spin: Anytime! Soul-R: 8rooks.com 8rooks enlightenment signing out BLESS! |
