Dub poetry

Dub poetry is a form of performance poetry of West Indian origin,[1] which evolved out of dub music consisting of spoken word over reggae rhythms in Jamaica in the 1970s.[2][3] Unlike dee jaying (also known as toasting), which also features the use of the spoken word, the dub poet's performance is normally prepared, rather than the extemporized chat of the dancehall dee jay.[2] In musical setting, the dub poet usually appears on stage with a band performing music specifically written to accompany each poem, rather than simply perform over the top of dub plates, or riddims, in the dancehall fashion. Musicality is built into dub poems, yet, dub poets generally perform without backing music, delivering chanted speech with pronounced rhythmic accentuation and dramatic stylization of gesture. Sometimes dub music effects, e.g. echo, reverb, are dubbed spontaneously by a poet into live versions of a poem. Many dub poets also employ call-and-response devices to engage audiences.

Political nature

Most dub poetry is overtly political and social, with none of the braggadocio often associated with the dancehall. The odd love-song or elegy appears, but dub poetry is predominantly concerned with politics and social justice, commonly voiced through a commentary on current events (thus sharing these elements with dancehall and "conscious" or "roots" reggae music).

Notable albums

Linton Kwesi Johnson (LKJ)'s album Dread Beat an' Blood first appeared in 1978, then Oku Onuora's Reflection In Red in 1979, followed by Benjamin Zephaniah's Rasta, and many others in the early 1980s onwards.

Toronto

Toronto, Canada, has the second highest concentration of dub poets, preceded by Jamaica and followed by England . Lillian Allen, Afua Cooper, and Ahdri Zhina Mandiela are among the founding mothers of the Canadian dub poetry legacy.

United Kingdom

LKJ still runs LKJ Records in the UK, a label that publishes both his own books and music, as well as that of other musicians and poets.

Benjamin Zephaniah continues to publish in the UK. He has written novels as well as poetry. He was put forward for the post of Oxford Professor of Poetry in 1989 and British Poet Laureate in 1999, and in 2003 was also offered an OBE, which he declined.

Many of the dub poets have published their work as volumes of written poetry as well as albums of poetry with music.

Notable dub poets

References

  1. ↑ Chris Roberts, Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind Rhyme, Thorndike Press, 2006 (ISBN 0-7862-8517-6)
  2. 1 2 Dub Poetry, Allmusic last on-line access in 9/17/2012.
  3. ↑ Dave Thompson, "History of Dub Poetry" in roots-archives.com, last on-line access in 9/17/2012.
  4. ↑ "Mighty Jah-J! the Furious George" at MySpace.

Further reading

External links

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