”My poetry tells the stories
of all my friends who never got a chance to get off the block,” says
Muhibb Dyer as he walks through an abandoned section of Milwaukee known as
Lil’ Beirut. “If I am able to save just one life or keep one young person
from going to jail, I’ve done my job as an artist.” But there was a time
when this urban griot preferred to wreck mic devices as a MC.
”I used to rap, but I felt that the genre got away from
the consciousness that I grew up with. Poetry allowed me to find that voice,”
says Muhibb who spent his early years rocking the same stages that were once
graced by fellow Milwaukee natives Arrested Development and R&B great Eric
Benet. “It wasn’t until I became a poet that I truly felt free as
lyricist.” While his friends begged him to keep at it, Muhibb hasn’t
spit a bar in nearly a decade. The move has paid of in more ways than one.
With a unique ability to pull at the heartstrings of his
audiences, Muhibb uses his newfound freedom to craft some of the most
emotionally charged works in spoken word. One of the best-known poets in the
country, Muhibb has performed all over the US and in 2002 was a
finalist at The National Slam Contest (the nation’s top spoken word
competition).
But for Muhibb the ultimate satisfaction as an artist
comes when he is able to tug at the hearts of young hustlas on Milwaukee’s
streets corners. "Hey you're that guy who was yelling at all those rich
people on TV--I wish I could do that," shouts a grinning neighborhood
boy who saw a performance by The Poet's on a local cable channel. Muhibb
just laughs and says, "Little Brother, you can do whatever you put your
mind to."
Notables
• The Children Are Crying Calendar • Local Finals Def Poetry
Jam • MATC Dinner With Geronimo Pratt • National Poetry Slam Top Ten • The
Great Chicago Fire-Malik Yusef • Congressional Black Caucus • Democractic
Gain (2004) • BET's Cousin Jeff Chronicles • Inspirator vs.Innovator
Kwabena A. Nixon
“I’m the representation of 400 years of little Black and
Brown boys who were told that they would never amount to anything,”
says Kwabena Antoine Nixon as he recites his crowd favorite poem “Holla” at
his weekly poetry set at Milwaukee’s Taboo Night Club. As he closes the
piece, he leaves the stage with 150 of his faithful followers joining him in
the famous Black Art’s Movement era chant “Nation Time.”
Just another day on the job for one of the emerging leaders
of the nation’s growing spoken word movement. But not too long ago this
veteran wordsmith wasn’t sure he was going to survive his Westside Chicago
neighborhood.
Born and raised in the Windy City, Kwabena lost his father
to street violence at the age of 11. By the time he was in his late teens
Antoine (as he was known then) was headed down a similar path. After years
of trying to live up to his Dad’s legacy he finally had enough and 10 years
ago he made the 90-mile move north to Milwaukee. Two years later he fully
completed the transformation to Kwabena when a local community elder gave
him the name meaning “Inspirator”.
"You can’t let the hood define who you are. You have to have
vision," says Kwabena as he speaks the next day before an audience of
incarcerated youth at The Milwaukee Juvenile Detention Center. After
finishing a poem for the teenaged boys he picks up a pen and triumphantly
says, "I survived because I had an outlet. What's your outlet going to be?
Mine is poetry."
Notables
• 1 Mic 1 Voice • Word Play
• I Remember Langston • Turning Boys to Men
• Dark Pearl • 1 Luv 4ever
• It Ain’t Ova • Democractic Gain
• Congressional Black Caucus • Inspirator vs Innovator
WHAT IS THE
CAMPAIGN AGAINST VIOLENCE?
The Campaign Against Violence is a
strategic attempt to empower Milwaukee's inner city to take a proactive stance
against interpersonal violence. By agitating, educating and organizing
Milwaukee's youth, the Campaign Against Violence not only aims to inspire young
folks with regular marches and empowerment rallies, but also train neighborhood
residents to become conflict resolution mediators.
Why is there so much Violence
in Milwaukee?
To be honest, there is not just
one answer to this very tough question. But, there are a couple of key
issues. Over the last 3 decades Milwaukee has lost hundreds of thousands
of key industrial jobs. Unfortunately, once booming plants like A.O. Smith
and Allis Chalmers have closed their doors, leaving thousands of African
Americans without employment. In fact, since the 70s, the unemployment
rate in Milwaukee's African American community has skyrocketed from 3% to well
over 20%.
As a result, Milwaukee has the
highest rate of African American incarceration in the country. Yet this
has not solved any of the city's problems as scores of African American
households have been disrupted and thousands of African American children have
grown up in broken homes. Sadly, with very little options, many of today's
youth have fallen into many of the traps associated with extreme poverty.
What are the solutions?
Again, there is not just one
answer, of course, more jobs, better schools and improved social services could
all help. These solutions however are unlikely to pop up overnight.
However, there are things that can be done now. That's why the Campaign
Against Violence takes a proactive stance and actually engages neighborhood
youth come up with creative and positive solutions to the problems that impact
their lives.
PEER
MEDIATION & CONFLICT RESOLUTION TRAINING
Before neighborhood youth can
become active participants in the Campaign Against Violence they must first go
through an extensive conflict resolution training. This nationally
recognized training curriculum is specifically tailed to deal with the problems
facing today's youth. More than just your average workshop, the Campaign
Against Violence engages youth in "real talk" and encourages them to discuss
aloud many of the problems that plague their inner city neighborhoods. Of
course, there is no panacea, but this unique training allows youth to begin
building blueprints to less violent lives.
TRAINING
OUTLINE
Session I. Where
am I from? During this session, workshop participants are forced to
deal withthe problems of their neighborhoods by writing about their
environments. Through out the session, participants will begin to think
critically about both their surroundings and their behavior.
Session II.
_____________ Needs to Apologize to Me. Many of today's youth carry
tremendous pain with them. This session forces workshop participants to
address many of the sources of their pain. Of course, it's not easy, but
throughout the session, participants begin to learn that they need positive
outlets to get rid of their stress.
Session III. My
Story vs. The Game. During this session workshop trainers begin to
engage participants with "tough talk". In this session, participants learn
that despite past problems or circumstances, they are responsible for their
behavior. Participants learn that they have to find positive solutions to
their problems or face the negative consequences of death or imprisonment.
Session
IV. You Gotta Have A Blueprint. During the 4th
session, trainers will teach participants about the importance of having a
blueprint In this session, participants will craft an outline and
mission statement for their lives. Participants will learn to refer to
their blueprint when things get rough.
DOES THE TRAINING WORK?
Over the years, this
groundbreaking curriculum has been tested in juvenile detention centers, group
homes and many of Milwaukee's toughest high schools. Campaign Against
Violence trainers have had success with working with youth ages 10 to 18 years
old and have also worked with adults. While there is no one solution to
the many problems facing today's youth, the Campaign Against Violence's peer
mediation and conflict resolution training has proven effective time and time
again.
Session Fees:
1 day (1
hr. Session): $500.00
4 week (1
day / week; 1 1/2 hr. Sessions): $2,000
5 week (1
day / week; 2 hr. Sessions): $3,500
Referrals are given special price discounts.
Music
Heroes
FLOOD THE HOOD WITH DREAMS's Details
Status:
Single
Zodiac Sign:
Leo
FLOOD THE HOOD WITH DREAMS go to www.muhibbdyer.com and be inspired by words from muhibbdyer!!!!! Posted at 8:11 PM Sep 13, 2008 view more
In every generation there are artists whose voices
represent the struggles of the nation’s have-nots. In the 60s, legends
like Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan and The Watts Prophets warned the world about
African American oppression. Following 2 decades of failed political
promises and socio-economic upheaval, hip-hop became the language of change
as MCs like Chuck D, Rakim and KRS ONE encouraged urban minded youth to
learn about the knowledge of self in the 80s and 90s. And today, as rap
music becomes less reflective of the realities of ghetto life and the world
becomes increasingly hostile, some of the most poignant voices of freedom
are coming from the nation’s growing spoken word community.
At the forefront of this movement are The Poets:
Kwabena Antoine Nixon and Muhibb Dyer. More than just artists, The
Poets are fastly becoming the faces of the country’s growing youth movement.
As leaders in their Milwaukee community, their powerful words have mobilized
youth to voting booths, inspired detainees in juvenile lock up and rocked
crowds at sold out concert halls. Their current effort, The Campaign
Against Violence, seeks to curb inner city violence.
No longer local talents, their reputation as top notch
performers has quickly spread outside of the rustbelt and these two powerful
lyricists have shared the stage with many of hip-hop's biggest names
including P. Diddy, Talib Kweli and Common.
Their message is so motivating that in 2004
Congresswoman Maxine Waters flew The Poets to Washington D.C. to perform for
the Congressional Black Caucus after hearing them move the crowd at a
campaign stop in Milwaukee. And with hip-hop coming to a close and the
world impatiently watching urban America’s next move, The Poets are ready to
become the voices of the next generation.
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME POETRY...?
Flood the Hood with Dreams offers a variety of writing workshops and presentations using poetry as it's vehicle to address specific issues that face our society. DVDs, Books and CDs are available for purchase.
Experience the
FLOOD THE
HOOD WITH DREAMS Telling My Story
CURRICULUM
complete with spoken word and writing exercises. This is a two hour
self-discovery writing and performance workshop that deals with getting
individuals young and mature to tell their story.
This curriculum is perfect for elementary
through collegiate students, conferences, book clubs, study groups, group homes,
correctional facilities.
I. The Truth Is Foundational Quote:
“It made me feel better sometimes to get something down on
paper just like I felt it. It brought a kind of relief to be able to describe my
pain.” -Nathan McCall
II. Getting Past It, Light
your Candle Foundational
Quote:“When we acknowledge
our errors and face up to our shortcomings, noone can use them against us”. – Iyanla Vanzant
III. Creating Your World Foundational Quote:
“We are the ones we have always been waiting for”-
Kwabena Ruben Harpole
Contact Booking
Agent Lelah Hunley at 414-788-1928for Program Cost,Prices our
negotiable. Additional performance, such as
schools, community centers open mic venues can be further discussed.
For booking information contact Lelah Huntley @ 414.788.1928 lelahhuntleyfthwd@yahoo.com . Digital media kits are available.
UPCOMING EVENTS & SHOWS
Milwaukee's Poetry Unplugged,
Coming Soon
on Tuesdays
hosted by Kwabena Antoine Nixon (KAN)
Flood the Hood with Dreams in Conjunction with Campaign Against Violence
presents...
My Mic, My Ministry, My Poetry (a Kwabena Antoine Nixon Production)
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED FOR REASONS BEYOND OUR CONTROL.
(Call 414.788.1928 for questions, ticket information and vendor information for our next event.)
Ebony Weekend,
February 15-17, 2008
University of Wisconsin, Platteville
For Info contact myspace.com/kwabenaantionenixon
Lyrical Sanctuary,
Every 2nd Wed.
@ UW, Milwaukee,
For info contact myspace.com/mcfaddendonte
The National Flood The Hood with Dreams &
Campaign Against Violence Tour
Coming Summer 2008!
Contact Mi'Le' Productions for
Events & Workshop Booking,
Sponsorship
& Media
Information at
mi_leconsulting@yahoo.com
or
414.788.1928!
BOOKS, CDs, & CALENDARS
2008 Children Are Crying Calendar Deadra and Muhibb Dyer
Send us a message to purchase the 6th Annual Children Are
Crying Calendar, a photographic salute and acknowledgement of the many
youth affected by violence in our country.
Eye Write
What Eye See
Poetry Book by Kwabena Antoine Nixon
January 2007
Take a walk through history to the future as you engage in poetry that
starts from the foundation of our ancestral beginning and travels through to
the laying of a new foundation.
The
Best of Kwabena CD by Kwabena Antoine Nixon
Coming Soon
Got
to go deeper. Got to get deeper. If you're not looking for hard
truth, deep realism and a push to not just be better, but help make others
better; If you're not willing to think and reflect and forge ahead then this
CD is not for you.
The
Hate That Hate Produced Play by and featuring Muhibb Dyer & Kwabena Antoine Nixon
April 2008
The
Hate That Hate Produced deals with the origin of Hate in the Black community
and how it is reciprocated through family, romantic and community
interactions.
Show support to the Mil. Something that everybody can be proud of is finally here. The Mixtape is finally droppin a limited amount of copies at the officical release party. Limited amount of V.I.P passes available. Anybody with a V.I.P pass dont have to wait in line no matter what time u come. They also come with free Moet, free food and you have an opportunity to get on the last scene of the Un'yon documentary. Come out and celebrate the birth of the Un'yon Ent.
Posted By: HONESTY OF THE U ENTERTAINMENT
Hosted By:: THE U ENTERTAINMENT
When: Friday Dec 12, 2008 at 9:00 PM
Where: CLUB INTERNATIONAL CESAR CHAVEZ( 16TH AND NATIONAL) MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin|50 53233 United States
Flood the Hood with dreams (Kentrell Style) By: Kentrell Washington
Flood the hood with dreams Cause it’s dead as it seems Flood the streets With hope A single moms back against the ropes Flood the hood with money cause this welfare ain’t funny Flood the pockets with facts Instead of distributing crack Flood the bodies with strength Cause this bullets are too faint Flood the heads with knowledge Cause the thugs flush it out ‘em Flood the homes with food So kids won’t go home to bad news Flood the hearts with love Cause they get it from God above Flood the hands with talent So they won’t give up on any challenge Flood the cowards backs with bone So they won’t be afraid of the unknown Flood the block with stops Forget all these gun shops Flood the corners with help Instead of them liquor stores being rebuilt Flood the hood with all this and tell what you’ll get A young black community Full of love and unity
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