Speaker: 00:00:00

Thank you for coming.

2

: 00:00:01

Thank you to ArtsQuest.

3

: 00:00:02

Thank you Jacob.

4

: 00:00:03

Thank you Anthony DeSanctis

for having us here for the Hip

5

: 00:00:06

Hop Movie Club Film Series.

6

: 00:00:08

We got a real special one tonight.

7

: 00:00:10

We got “Louder than a Bomb” we knew that.

8

: 00:00:12

But we also have an even special-er treat.

9

: 00:00:16

We've got Baby

the Poet of Tribes & Vibes!

10

: 00:00:19

Yeah.

11

: 00:00:20

I've been taught while growing up

that when nature speaks,

12

: 00:00:24

I need to listen to my intuition.

13

: 00:00:27

That's why I find it funny

when people swear I'm in control.

14

: 00:00:31

But subconsciously I just fall

into submission when these lies.

15

: 00:00:36

Whoops.

16

: 00:00:37

I mean, these laws are being written.

17

: 00:00:40

It got me so clouded when making decisions

that I no longer see in the science.

18

: 00:00:45

Now I'm just trusting in the fiction.

19

: 00:00:48

You want to know what else is missing?

20

: 00:00:50

Well, ChatGPT has been taken over

my critical thinking.

21

: 00:00:54

Let's not forget to mention

that when I use these

22

: 00:00:57

AI services,

they're deploy our fresh water systems.

23

: 00:01:02

But it's hidden so Microsoft

24

: 00:01:05

that I can't even see

when bills are being passed

25

: 00:01:09

through certain gates that it blocks out

my father's sons mission.

26

: 00:01:13

My people, I need to pay attention.

27

: 00:01:16

It's no big secret that these warehouses

28

: 00:01:19

are being paid to bioengineer

our chicken that is put in Canada,

29

: 00:01:24

soups sold in bulk and grocery stores

and then fed to the youth because

30

: 00:01:30

first they create our hunger,

then they take our culture.

31

: 00:01:35

Lastly, they pat in our roots.

32

: 00:01:37

Let's not forget their

even marketing teams will deem poison

33

: 00:01:42

as holy,

as long as it's branded as truths,

34

: 00:01:45

because there ain't no soul in the food

they be fixing.

35

: 00:01:49

There's no elders

passing recipes down or seasonings.

36

: 00:01:54

There's no souls in the kitchen,

only wires and syringes.

37

: 00:01:58

You want to know what that's called?

38

: 00:02:01

It's called corporate addiction

because they have us

39

: 00:02:04

hemmed up by corporate chains.

40

: 00:02:06

You know what it's called?

41

: 00:02:08

It's called tech, food and prisons.

42

: 00:02:10

It's all the same game

with all the same players.

43

: 00:02:14

They just fall underneath different names.

44

: 00:02:17

But their agenda will always remain

the same

45

: 00:02:20

to keep us dumb, sick

and addicted to pain.

46

: 00:02:24

My apologies

for revealing some of these uncomfortable

47

: 00:02:28

truths from being today

America's modern day slaves.

48

: 00:02:34

Boom!

49

: 00:02:39

Thank you so.

50

: 00:02:40

So much

for letting me run that back again.

51

: 00:02:44

Running

poetry like it's memorizing is key.

52

: 00:02:48

So for for this this right here,

this piece not not this poem piece,

53

: 00:02:54

but this is for the recording

right here, right now on YouTube.

54

: 00:02:58

I'm just letting all artists know

memorization is not easy, okay?

55

: 00:03:04

It is not easy.

56

: 00:03:05

Even if you wrote it down

57

: 00:03:08

now going forward.

58

: 00:03:09

So I do this thing now, I memorize poems

and then I always

59

: 00:03:14

I write a new poem

and I read it off my phone

60

: 00:03:17

just so people could know that it's

okay with the whole memorization thing.

61

: 00:03:22

I know as poets, even me,

I was one of those people that,

62

: 00:03:26

oh, you got to memorize,

you got to memorize.

63

: 00:03:28

But honestly, reading or off of a phone

or through your book

64

: 00:03:33

can be just as impactful

as long as you really mean it.

65

: 00:03:37

So going forward, this is my last poem,

but I felt this poem in my heart

66

: 00:03:42

and I really feel

like people need to hear it.

67

: 00:03:48

So this poem is called

68

: 00:03:49

Our Children Fall Strong.

69

: 00:03:54

The government says

70

: 00:03:55

it protects the children

and the laws don't lie.

71

: 00:03:59

It's just hard to explain

because they don't speak plain.

72

: 00:04:02

And behind every piece of shady paperwork,

there's always some dirty,

73

: 00:04:07

smelly chains, a form,

an affidavit, no court and no case.

74

: 00:04:13

Just one signature.

75

: 00:04:14

And someone else could take your place.

76

: 00:04:17

They call it care,

but I call it a quiet erasure

77

: 00:04:21

of parents, of rights, of the line

between protector and predator.

78

: 00:04:27

It gets thinner at night.

79

: 00:04:29

They sealed the Epstein files,

but they opened new doors

80

: 00:04:34

for strangers to cradle kids

without knocking on yours.

81

: 00:04:38

So tell me,

how does safety come without oversight?

82

: 00:04:42

How do you will protect a child

83

: 00:04:45

from getting trafficked

at an airport in mid-flight?

84

: 00:04:48

I've seen stories

end up in good intentions.

85

: 00:04:53

Boarding schools enforce the rules

and they all dressed up

86

: 00:04:57

in dishonorable mentions. But now this.

87

: 00:05:00

And this is the plan

to let anyone walk away with a child,

88

: 00:05:05

as long as they look like

a profitable man.

89

: 00:05:08

I've seen too many headlines.

90

: 00:05:11

Too many girls go missing.

91

: 00:05:13

Too many black and brown bodies

get called runaways

92

: 00:05:17

instead of being called

the labeled as victims.

93

: 00:05:20

So don't you dare pass me a pen and don't

tell me to just sign it right here,

94

: 00:05:26

because I know what a back door

looks like when a coward smells fear,

95

: 00:05:32

you don't hand out power like it's candy

without a catch.

96

: 00:05:36

And I won't stay silent

while they draw the last match.

97

: 00:05:40

I'd rather gas this whole building down

and watch them burn up into flames.

98

: 00:05:45

This is the moment that we rise as a wall.

99

: 00:05:48

Because if this law falls wrong,

then our children fall strong.

100

: 00:05:56

Thank you very much.

101

: 00:05:57

Again, again.

102

: 00:06:01

These poems I am.

103

: 00:06:02

I'm trying to figure out what is going on

here in the Lehigh Valley.

104

: 00:06:07

It does not get talked enough

child trafficking.

105

: 00:06:11

It does not get talked enough

that babies are getting eaten.

106

: 00:06:15

It does not get talked enough.

107

: 00:06:17

And we need to scream

this to the mountaintops.

108

: 00:06:20

I don't have no kids,

and I feel like I care more about kids

109

: 00:06:24

than some of these parents,

and that breaks my heart.

110

: 00:06:27

So with that being said,

if it's one thing that you learned from

111

: 00:06:31

these poems

is that we need to be advocates,

112

: 00:06:34

we need to be vigilant, and

we need to protect our future generations.

113

: 00:06:38

Thank you very much for your hearts.

114

: 00:06:41

Thank you very much for letting me enter

your minds, and I hope you get home safe.

115

: 00:06:45

And thank you so much.

116

: 00:06:47

Hip hop hip hop Club I thank you so much

for this opportunity and ArtsQuest.

117

: 00:06:53

Woo!

118

: 00:06:56

How long have you been doing spoken word?

119

: 00:06:59

Doing poetry?

120

: 00:07:00

I got introduced to poetry, I want to

say, during my high school years.

121

: 00:07:04

So probably around like nine 10th grade,

122

: 00:07:08

I started doing doing it professionally,

I want to say around 23.

123

: 00:07:12

I don't. Yeah, ten years now.

124

: 00:07:13

I'm 33 years old.

125

: 00:07:15

How did you get into it? School. School?

126

: 00:07:17

Yeah. School.

127

: 00:07:19

And going through trauma.

128

: 00:07:21

Sometimes you need an outlet.

129

: 00:07:23

And I was finding outlets

through the streets, getting arrested.

130

: 00:07:27

And then I was like, you know what?

131

: 00:07:29

I think I need to

put it into something else.

132

: 00:07:33

That's how that went.

133

: 00:07:34

Very good.

134

: 00:07:35

Were there people that you looked up to?

135

: 00:07:39

The heroes and poetry, spoken word.

136

: 00:07:41

Well, not like well, of course,

137

: 00:07:45

my Maya Angelou, but, most definitely.

138

: 00:07:49

Like, it was mainly like artists.

139

: 00:07:51

So my main ones I draw energy from R&B.

140

: 00:07:55

So my main ones was like the Temptations,

Sam Cooke.

141

: 00:07:59

Chris Brown is a big inspiration to me.

142

: 00:08:02

So yeah, those were the artists

that I looked up to.

143

: 00:08:05

Maya Angelou was a big one though,

like she

144

: 00:08:08

the way she describes words

and puts on for women.

145

: 00:08:11

I could definitely respect that 100%.

146

: 00:08:14

Very good.

147

: 00:08:16

So where can we find you on social media?

148

: 00:08:21

Any venues you have going to be at any

events coming up?

149

: 00:08:25

I don't have any events coming up lately.

150

: 00:08:28

I've been taking some me time

and I think that that is important.

151

: 00:08:31

As artists, sometimes we get burned out

and especially local artists

152

: 00:08:36

going around to so many different places.

153

: 00:08:39

The Lehigh Valley doesn't have

a lot of places to actually perform at.

154

: 00:08:43

So I would go to Philadelphia,

Washington DC, New York City,

155

: 00:08:47

all of that stuff to perform.

156

: 00:08:48

Then I started Tribes and Vibes,

and it's kind of hard getting venues.

157

: 00:08:53

A lot of people don't speak about that.

158

: 00:08:56

As creatives,

especially hosts and business owners.

159

: 00:09:00

You know, a lot of people look at it

and the aspect of an artist, right,

160

: 00:09:04

just going to perform.

161

: 00:09:05

But I got tired as an artist

not having places to perform.

162

: 00:09:10

So with that being said,

163

: 00:09:12

I took a little bit of a break

because it was starting to be a struggle.

164

: 00:09:16

Bumping heads, trying to find places here

in the Lehigh Valley,

165

: 00:09:20

and people not understanding

what spoken word poetry is.

166

: 00:09:24

So that's why I'm super grateful that

you guys even reached out to me for this.

167

: 00:09:29

And I'm super grateful that you're even

putting poetry at the forefront.

168

: 00:09:32

Tell us about Tribes & Vibes.

169

: 00:09:34

Okay, so tribes and vibes.

170

: 00:09:36

Tribes and vibes started in 2021.

171

: 00:09:38

It started right.

172

: 00:09:40

We were the first company

173

: 00:09:42

that actually opened to the community

when the pandemic hit.

174

: 00:09:46

When the doors open,

we were the first events that happened.

175

: 00:09:50

So we started there at 2021 and

we had a whole bunch of sold out shows.

176

: 00:09:56

Yeah, that's that's how we started.

177

: 00:09:59

It started

thanks to Arts Quest in the sense of

178

: 00:10:03

they gave me the platform, right.

179

: 00:10:05

And yeah. Arts.

180

: 00:10:08

Arts quest is the it.

181

: 00:10:10

They do things, you know what I mean?

182

: 00:10:12

They they allow,

183

: 00:10:14

opportunities and I'm grateful for that.

184

: 00:10:17

Super grateful.

185

: 00:10:18

So we're working with five Tribes

and five.

186

: 00:10:19

You on the on the socials.

187

: 00:10:21

Well, you can find Baby the Poet just

like that, Baby the Poet on Instagram.

188

: 00:10:27

And you can find tribes

and vibes at tribes.

189

: 00:10:30

The letter N vibes 2021, on Instagram.

190

: 00:10:35

Just like that.

191

: 00:10:36

And you can find Tribes and Vibes

on Facebook.

192

: 00:10:38

Tribes and vibes just like that. Right on.

193

: 00:10:40

Right, right. Nice.