Zell Miller III's Hip Hop Theater Explosion!

Did you audition the performers, or did you hand-select them? Have you worked with most or all of these artists before?

Most of these folks I have worked with, or know about, and others came through people that I know and respect. Running down those performers and what they will bring to the table; I'll be working with the amazing guitarist and vocalist by the name of Phillip Owen. The other performers are:

• Love Robinson, producer of the Make it Wet Spit Fest and Neo-Soldier

• Chris Lee, of Austin slam fame
• Ruby, from the Under 21 slam team
• Telvi, an amazing young poet
• Cora Lee, finalist in the Under 21 Slam and member of Changing Lives Theater Company
• Mr. Moe, a talented young rapper and poet
• A.D. the Wanted Man, an amazing beatbox artist, singer, and poet
• Dancers from Uprise! Productions with choreography by Artistic Director Annanda Moss
• Rochelle Terrell, an amazing new vocalist
• Black Listed Individuals, Famecast finalists
• Public Offenders, an amazing young rap group
• Pillisato, a hot new MC
• Xplibit, you have to see to believe dance troop...these cats break dance on skates
• Holding it down on the 1, and 2’s, S.T.A.T.I.C.

What will the show's format be? Is it a mini-showcase of each artist's work, or more of a collaborative piece?

All the pieces that will be performed will be original work by the outstanding artists who are participating in this show. It will be like a mini-format. Keep in mind this is our first shot at this type of show, and what I hope will grow from this will be a recurring show that will have a rotating line up. I also want to feature one of the four elements of hip-hop each show—like one show we feature hip-hop dancing, another show we feature MC’s and so on and so forth. I would love to also work on a more collaborative piece in the future like maybe one night it’s themed around one particular issue or idea.

Will it include music? Dance?

Yes, there will be music by our wonderful DJ, and there will be sections where poets and MC’s will work over music . We are also going to do this really hot thing called Man vs. Machine, where will have two beat boxers battling the DJ with beats. And we have movement pieces by Uprise Productions! and Xplibit.

Are you performing, or only EmCeeing?

I'll be performing with the guitarist Phillip Owen. I have some new poems I’m introducing, and I’m also going to do one or two monologues from my previous work. Here is the cool thing—you could possibly come on different nights and see an entirely different show because we are leaving open to the performers to do something different all three nights. That is very exciting. Also the way we will close the show out, we are going to have the DJ throw on some instrumentals and there is something in hip-hop called “Da Cypher”—it’s usually a circle where poets or MC’s just start freestyling off the tops of their heads and going back and forth and around with words. If you have never witnessed it, it’s something beautiful and magical, and every night we are ending the show that way so there is no way in hell that it will be the same show every night.

Any relation to the timing of this piece and the upcoming NPS 2007 (August 7-11)?

No, I have a history with the slam, but these were the dates that the amazing Bonnie Cullum of the Vortex had available. I wish the slam good luck and I know I will check out some of the amazing folks coming down that week and I will be rooting for my man DaShade Moonbeam (Austin Ego’s Grand Slam Champ), but this show is in no way related to the slam.

What is the difference between hip-hop and slam poetry?

Hip-hop is more than music, or a way to talk or dress. Hip-hop is basically a way to live, and it’s sad that this sub-culture has been adopted and co-opted by a larger society, but hip-hop is a state of being. Slam Poetry is game—a cruel and often entertaining game—but at its core it’s just a game. There is a huge sub-culture of slam poets evident by shows like Def Poetry Jam, and the success of the National Slam and the ever growing Youth Voices Under 21 Slam, but I think it’s like apples to walnuts, they are not the same at all.

Will the audience have a better understanding of hip-hop as a form of expression after they've seen this show?

I would hope, since this is also one of our goals. Hip-hop right now is that alcoholic uncle that was your hero growing up but you watch this man year after year destroy himself, and you wish that you could reach and help him...right now, the misogynistic tone, the bling-bling attitude, and the non-creative path hip-hop is walking it’s hard not to have a negative reaction when you hear those words spoken. I think what I have assembled here is the Justice League, and we are going to save hip-hop, we are going to leave the audience with a different perspective, and we are also going show them just what hip-hop theater can be. When it’s all said and done, at some point slam poets and hip-hop artists can only be held in those boxes for so long—true artists are always looking to expand on the art form. Well, Slam only gives you three minutes and Hip-hop artists can fight with club owners, marketing folks, and record companies for so long, and pretty soon they will all realize that the theater is the final frontier. You want to be able to create without boundaries? Well theater says challenge me, and that is what the The Hip-Hop Theater Explosion does. It says “What is the definition of hip-hop?” You decide!

Poster graphics by Dat Boi Drew.

The Hip Hop Theater Explosion!
Th/Fr/Sa August 2-4
The Vortex [Map]
8pm
Tickets: 478-5282