Customer Reviews

Def Poetry - Season 1

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This DVD is definitely a must have for all dvd collectors. As Mos Def stated in a few of the shows, these artists get up there and say things you may already be thinking. They will have you laughing at times, and will have you reflecting on the state of our society at others. As they show clips of the audience, you find every skin tone and age up in there and its a beautiful thing to see them all laughing together and even shedding tears together...It's deep..
Based on my experience from Def Comedy Jam, I was expecting all of the artists to be African American, but Russell mixed it up with Caucasians, Asians and Arabs which was HOT...We never really know how different people look at the world and this gives you a glimpse into what each person sees and what they've been through.

DEFinitely a classic!!

I caught this show on HBO by chance and became a fan instantly. If you are a person who appreciates any kind of art form, you will find true value in these performances. These poems are a window into the different cultures in our world and they allow you to relate to and understand other people and ourselves. This season has 4 episodes. However, I encourage you to also get Season 2 particularly (I have up until Season 3). On Episode 2 Danny Hoch did a piece on 9/11. Simply outstanding! It was at once somber, funny, sarcastic, introspective, sad, in short the most brilliant performance. Same goes to a performance by "Black Ice" which was Hip-Hop, yet anti-gangsta... awesome!! Beau Sia is also incredible with a hyperbolic performance about the "Asian Invasion". They alone make it a must have for anyone with an appreciation for poetry. I must warn you language can be explicit at times.

This DVD is wonderful and gives proof that the spoken word is the strongest force out there. Russell Simmons has truly captured and presented a raw form of unbelievable talent of everyday people and those more notable. These poets will touch and pierce your very soul and leave you laughing, crying, mad and happy. After the first episode, you will be hooked.

One of the best shows to ever be seen on HBO. This DVD only has 4 episodes, but it shows that spoken word is definately going somewhere. I didn't fast-forward through any of the poems, which means none of them were stupid or boring. I absolutely love this DVD and would recommend this to ANYBODY who likes Def Poetry...You MUST buy it! It's definately not a waste of money!

First of all, I got this DVD because I am a poet myself and it really caught my eye walking through the video store. I just viewed it and I recommend any poet or any fan of poetry should watch this DVD...all the poets in this DVD, including Cedric the Entertainer and Dave Chappelle were absolutely amazing...it's Spoken Word and I give it TWO THUMBS UP!

I rec'd the item in just a couple of days and was very pleased with the service.. Keep up the good work!!!!!!!!!

One of the best shows to ever be seen on HBO. This DVD only has 4 episodes, but it shows that spoken word is definately going somewhere. I didn't fast-forward through any of the poems, which means none of them were stupid or boring. I absolutely love this DVD and would recommend this to ANYBODY who likes Def Poetry...You MUST buy it! It's definately not a waste of money!

I really did like this when I began watching it. The performers are lively and dynamic, with a good quality of poems, enhanced by a committed audience and high production values. But the more I watch it, the more frustrated I become. It just doesn't hold up to multiple viewings.

On first watch, it is good. You might hear that it's a televised poetry performance and think you're going to see the Open Mike Night From Hell, but these poets are experienced performers and known crowd-pleasers. They hook the audience and keep them paying attention. I just wish there was something stronger and more compelling to pay attention to.

Part of the problem is the limited range of subject matters. I know the hip-hop milieu demands some attention to race, but the poetry on race issues sticks to a few well-worn ideas, most of them delivered in the same high-key and indistinctly enraged tone. The poetry about sex is similarly repetetive. It's not true, as some have said, that Andrea Dworkin claimed all sex is rape, but if you go by what you find on this DVD, you'll think most of it is.

A lot of the anger seems ungrounded. The prime example of this is duet act Yellow Rage, who seem angry that others dare approach them as equals. They start out shouting, they never stop shouting, and at one point they are shouting over each other, so that I can't follow a blessed word they are saying. I know that a lot of people seem to want to regard Asian women as sex toys, but I'm not one of them, so why are they yelling at me? The correct answer is, they're not. They're just yelling because that's what they do.

There are a number of very good poets in this collection. Taylor Mali, Suheir Hammad, and Poetri (yes, that's a real stage name) have well-written, incisive, and often funny poetry that makes the audience really think about what they're hearing, and question themselves. And each episode features a highly regarded senior artist from American poetry, including Nikki Giovanni, Amiri Baraka, and the Last Poets. Not only are they excellent writers, but every one of them has a Hamlet-like stage presence worthy of the outsized poems they bring onstage with them.

But why are Dave Chapelle and Cedric the Entertainer in the show? And why are they reading poetry that feels like it got a B- in Freshman Poetry Analysis? I know these performers have a cachet that might bring an audience to the show, but they themselves feel as out-of-place as a honky in tie and tails attending a Public Enemy concert. And please, Mr. Simmons: of all the sentimental white-chick poets to get on your stage, you had to go with Jewel? I'm not sure you couldn't have done better going to any open mike night in America and picking out a random seventh-grader with dyed hair.

By no means is this series bad. But the good parts are strewn like bread crumbs through a minefield of verse. Devoted poetry fanatics may get plenty out of this series, but I can't recommend it to casual viewers. You'd be better rewarded to go with Slam Nation: The Sport of Spoken Word or Individual World Poetry Slam 2007 if you want a feel for what poetry feels like on the modern stage. This one is like a song with one note, a note that goes on far too long for my money.

Its interesting. There were a few poets that blew me away, then there were others that just didnt do it for me. I guess different people relate to different things, as a nice way to put it.

Amazing.
Inspiration for your life.
Do yourself a favor, and buy it.