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| The Twin Poets Nnamdi O. Chukwuocha och Albert Mills |
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De två bröderna har under drygt femton år jobbat med ungdomar i tuffa områden, genom olika skrivprojekt. De har dessutom uppträtt med Spoken Word och hiphop-musik. Här får ni ett exempel på deras utsökta synkronisering.
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Jag har läst deras bok Our work, our words från 2008. Jag tycker dessvärre att man inte får samma känsla för texterna i skrift, som man får när de framförs från scenen.
Jag har trots det valt ut ett utdrag och en dikt. Den senare är tillägnad Nnamdis dotter.
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rhythm (extract), by Nnamdi
(from Our work, our words. Wilmington, DE : Art for Life - Delaware & A NU Direction , 2016.)
me and this little kid
our heads nod to the same rhythm
but as he gets lost in the meaningless lyrics
in the rhythm i find wisdom
the rhythm of basketballs bouncing off the pavement
wraps me in the rhythm of waves which once carried slave ships
the non stop rhythm of slave auction blocks
the cotton pickin' rhythm
the sun up to sun down rhythm
of never ending days
the rhythm of freedom which guides a runaway slave
the pounding rhythm of his heart
becomes the rhythm of the drum
the rhythm of the sun
rhythm
(...)
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Jag kommer förmodligen uppmärksamma svenska och engelskspråkiga rappare under nästa år. Ni kan ju se texterna från the Twin Poets som ett första led i den programpunkten.
the artist formally known as: $$$, by Nnamdi
(from Our work, our words. Wilmington, DE : Art for Life - Delaware & A NU Direction , 2016.)
(for my daughter Thea)
when it comes to my daughter
my heart beats a strange rhythm when I hear her say
dad ... dadd ... Daddd ... Dad Can I Have?
sometimes in a frantic rush
she goes beyond rhyme or reason with ease
and belts out the blues
please, Please, PLEASE
she sings her solo
with one hand outstretched
five fingers wanting to hold cash
but for now hold five point harmony
notes both high and low
father still says NO!
reminiscent of a hip hop dj
she transforms her cadence to the given situation
she greets her temporary defeat
with a song so sweet
she switches her pitch
and goes whole heartedly into her chorus
inviting me into a duet as she explains
dad there really is no cost to you cause
if you pay for it now, I promise I will pay you back
but she never says exactly when that transaction will occur
like I should just believe her
but much to her dismay
I must ask questions that a father must ask
does that mean I should add this fifty dollars to the last fifty or subtract?
because I don't ever remember getting that back
but history has never been her favorite subject
so she will never remember that
all of a sudden
daughter smiles
and
father gives in again ...
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