TAALAM ACEY
Poet Taalam Acey calls “Spoken Word Apex” — taking place at the Victoria Theater at NJPAC in Newark, Aug. 24 — “a fantasy, a one-off lineup brought to life, in that it is an assemblage of many of the best talents in an art form that touches souls like no other.”
Acey, who curated the show, will perform with fellow spoken word artists K-Love the Poet, Narubi Selah, Ed Mabrey, Mr. Food4Thought, RADI, Kween Moore, Obbie West, Georgia Me, Positive Gunter, Black Chakra and James C. Ellerbe.
“Outside of caring for my family, bleeding-edge spoken word is my raison d’etre,” he says. “My aim is to put the most impactful performance poetry in front of those who did not even know they needed it — and those who are already certain they do — and those looking for the inspiration and fulfillment absent from the majority of art forms. It is imperative in life to fellowship with like souls that help validate and enhance your world view and assist in empowering your zest for life itself.”
The show — which will combine poetry with visual arts and music — is part of the Dodge Poetry series. Acey has previously produced similar shows at NJPAC, and at Atlanta’s High Museum.
The lineup is full of New Jersey artists, including Trenton-born Selah, who has starred in, written and co-directed off-Broadway productions and won the first New Jersey Poetry Slam grand championship.
Newark native Moore describes herself as an “artsypreneur” serving Newark and surrounding communities through creative arts programming, poetry, performance art and visual arts.
RADI
East Orange’s RADI has written and spoken about body and sex positivity, Civil Rights, obesity, colorism, sexism and LGBTQIA+ issues; she is a four-time Poetry Slam champion and coaches the New Jeru Slam Team, one of the top-ranked poetry slam teams in the nation.
Also hailing from Newark, Positive Gunter wrote “Positive’s Reflections,” described in press material as a “poetic rumination on how to turn negative experiences into positive ones.”
Works by Ellerbe, from Hackensack, include the play “A Dream Preserved,” the book “Beyond the Event Horizon,” and the spoken-word album Pulsar.
K-Love the Poet’s works include “Million Dollar Melanin,” a poem about colorism in Black families; and “For Smart Mouth Girls,” a children’s book of affirmations. She has performed with Common and The Last Poets.
Newark native DJ Doughboy, who will provide music for the evening, has worked with Queen Latifah and Joe Budden.
A Newark native who now lives in Georgia, Acey has been influenced by Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets and Amiri Baraka. He has recorded 19 albums, including his latest release Thug Healer 2: 4DaReal1, and authored eight books, including “Troubled Soul Refinery 2: Minor Demons.”
He spent years developing his work at Bogies nightclub in East Orange and the Nuyorican Café in Manhattan. His poetry has been featured on TV One, the Documentary Channel and BET, as well as Essence magazine.
Acey touches on a range of significant issues in his passionate spoken word pieces, including love, mental health, poverty, fatherhood, friendship, hip-hop and racism. His cadences create a rhythm that is hard to break from once you start listening to them. His intense poems make me take a break from my thoughts. I am carried into his world until his last lines linger.
“My go-to pieces are ‘God’s Work,’ written to help inspire other spoken word artists, and ‘She Conjurez,’ which serves as a lyrical painting of a relationship with a beautiful woman,” he said in a 2023 interview.
TAALAM ACEY
In “God’s Work” (listen below), he suggests that poetry is sacred and that poets are authentic teachers who speak about the realities of people’s lives. “What if this is God’s work?” he asks in this piece. “What if the poets are closer to Muhammad, Buddha and Jesus than the preachers?”
“She Conjurez” (listen below) reminds me of the delicate beauty, depth and intimacy of Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan’s love songs. Acey’s images create a sense of romance and devotion; the rhythm of his voice is hypnotic and compelling.
Acey considers spoken word to be a spiritual art form that inspires its audience to experience an emotional and affirming journey.
“The most authentic performance poetry does not require pyrotechnics, flash or distractions to do what it does best — to reaffirm your sanity and ability to continuously transform your personal universe for the better,” he says.
“Spoken Word Apex” will take place at the Victoria Theater at NJPAC in Newark, Aug. 24 at 8 p.m. Visit ticketmaster.com.
For more on Acey, visit taalamacey.com.
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