Search - Various Artists :: Flippin the Script: Rap Meets Poet

What remains of the abortive mid-'90s poetry revival is Mouth Almighty Records, a label formed by Bob Holman and Bill Adler, ringleaders of the original "poetry slam" scene in New York. Mouth Almighty's second release, Flippin' the Script: Rap Meets Poetry, captures the best moments from the spirited slams that, between 1993 and '95, brought together rappers and poets in a spoken-word no-man's-land. Seventeen different performers, from the well known (poet/playwright Sekou Sundiata, cultural critic Greg Tate, UMCs rapper Kool Kim) to the less known (Dasez, 17, High Priest) take turns at the mic, with Holman hosting. As with most of what passes for spoken poetry, Flippin' the Script's tracks are better classified as monologues or performance art, since most are unstructured and proselike and need a live reading to be appreciated. Some are a cappella raps, some free-form stories, some little more than mouth sounds. On the whole, though, Flippin' the Script is among the better spoken-word recordings. --Roni Sarig