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Books by Amin
Sharif
I
AM NEW ORLEANS & OTHER POEMS By Marcus B. Christian /
The Story of Joseph: The Egyptian Elements in the Old
Testament
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The Fifth
Element: Send
Forth the Word!
By
Amin Sharif
On an unusually
warm evening in
November, I sit
along with my
road partner
Keith (Bilal)
Shortridge in
the living room
of a renovated
row house in the
Patterson Park
area of
Baltimore. I
watch a small
child as he
scrambles down
the stairway
between floors;
the boy’s smile
is as infectious
and warm as the
evening. The
child is the son
of one of the
young men we
have come to
see. I see the
child as a good
omen for the
interview I am
about to do with
two of
Baltimore’s
prominent Spoken
Word artists
known
collectively as
Fifth Element. Bilal and I have
know 5th Element
casually for
years, they
performed at a
benefit that we
worked on to
raise money for
a scholarship
fund to
memorialize our
dear friend
Yvonne Terry’s
son untimely
demise and the
ChickenBones
website. It was
then that we
were introduced
to Fifth
Element’s
enormous talent.
They were the
unqualified best
group that
performed that
day.
Soon, the word
on the street
was that
5th
Element was one
of the best
young talents to
come out of
Baltimore.
Articles on the
group appeared
in the
City
Paper and more
recently in the
Urbanite
extolling both
their talent and
their commitment
to the new urban
art form known
as Spoken Word.
On a day trip to
New York by
train, I was
asked about a
group called the
5th L that came
out of Baltimore
by a college
student. It was
only after a few
more moments of
conversation
that I realized
my fellow
passenger was
talking about
the Fifth
Element.
It was shortly
after the
article on the
group appeared
in the
Urbanite
that Bilal and I
decided that we
should interview
5th Element as
part of a new
project -Fourth
World (internet)
Radio—that we
are currently
working on. Bilal found the
phone number of
David Ross and
gave him a call.
And so, we found
ourselves
sitting across
from them on
this warm
November
evening. The
interview we did
with
5th Element
was both
engaging and
fun. In fact,
the talk we had
was more like
the affable
exchanges
between
different
generations of
Black men about
everything from
basketball to
politics that
went on back in
the day than
anything
approaching a
formal
interview.
David Ross and
Femi Lawal make
up the explosive
duo of 5th
Element. They
perform under
the names Native
Son and Dri Fish
respectively.
Both are rail
thin, highly
intelligent and
socially
committed young
men. David was
born in
Baltimore. Femi
is from Nigeria.
Before they were
a group, David
performed in
churches. Femi
was introduced
to the art of
Spoken Word
through his
association with
other young
artists.
Eventually, they
formed a poetic
posse and 5th
Element emerged.
Although I have
characterized
5th Element as
practitioners
of
Spoken Word,
David and Femi
see their work
as a hybrid of
streetwise Hip
Hop and socially
engaging poetic
drama. What is
clear in the
interview is
that
5th Element
is
evolving—remaking
themselves as
they mature and
respond to a
shifting
artistic
landscape—while
at the same time
staying true to
their urban
roots. As the
interview
proceeded, we
touched on such
subjects as the
difference
between the
current
generation of
artists and
those that came
before them.
What is the
difference
between what 5th
Element does and
other Spoken
Word artists?
And who are the
leading figures
in the Hip
Hop/Spoken Word
movement today?
Perhaps one of
the most
interesting
encounters we
had concerned
the difference
between the
poets of the
Black Arts
Movement and
those of the Hip
Hop/Spoken Word
generation. The
response of
David and Femi
to the subject
was insightful
and respectful.
What was clear
was that while
viewing Amiri
Baraka,
Gwendolyn Brooks
and company as
their artistic
godparents, the
Hip Hop and
Spoken Word
artists are not
bound by any
specific
political or
social agenda.
This does not
mean that they
are not socially
and politically
astute. But, it
does mean that
groups like the
5th Element feel
free to address
social and
political issues
on their own
term. Clearly,
this new
generation of
artists has no
interest in
being a
reflection of
the past.
Instead, they
wish to be a
prism through
which the light
of their unique
artistic
expressions can
be interpreted.
Fifth Element
has recorded
several CDs and
I often
recommend them
to the young and
old alike. All
their poems are
well crafted and
entertaining
something that
is extremely
important for
David and Femi.
When listened to
in the order of
their release,
one can easily
trace the
evolving
complexity of
5th Element’s
work. Each CD
stands firmly on
the shoulders of
its predecessor
and from each
successive
elevation,
5th
Element crafts
their newest
poem and
dramatic
presentations.
Perhaps, the
only thing
lacking in these
CDs is 5th
Element’s
engrossing stage
presence. They
are truly
something to
behold when they
step behind the
mike. And you
will hear for
yourself the
depth and
commitment of
5th Element when
we air their
interview this
winter. But, we
at Fourth World
Radio did not
wish to wait
until then to
send forth the
word on these
young brothers.
For we not only
like
5th
Element, we love
them and what
they do. In the
meantime, you
can pick up
their latest
effort Reset and
give a listen to
one of the best
Hip Hop/Spoken
Word groups out
there.
Amin Sharif is
Project Manager
for Fourth World
Radio!
* * * * *
* * * * *
posted 3
February 2009 |
