bruce.JPG

STATS:

  • LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY
  • TENURE: I have been on the circuit seriously for about 5 years, but I have been in the genre for over 13 yrs.
  • PROJECTS: My bio profile is over 14 pages long, but I will state that I’m currently working on an anti-violence/poverty entitled “The American Experiment Peace Project” where my partners and I will go across the country and house 10 families in each city, as well as address issues around health and violence. Check out the myspace page at: http://www.myspace.com/theamericanexperiment. Stay tuned to my upcoming gang anthology entitled “The Bandana Republic, a Literary Anthology by Gang Members and their Affiliates.” I’m the Founder/Managing Editor. Louis Reyes Rivera is the Co-Founder/Editor and Jim Brown (Hall of Fame/actor) has written the Foreword. The book is coming out in June of 2008. Check out the myspace page at: www.myspace.com/thebandanarepublic
  • WEBSITES:
    www.myspace.com/brucegeorge
    Youtube EPK

1. What is your mission statement as a artistic organizer/activist?

My mandate from God has always been about service. My goal in life is to help the most amount of people in the least amount of time. In Galatians 6:2 God states “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Also in Matthew 23:11 God states “But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.” As a so-called organizer/activist my mission is to help liberate people so they can free themselves spiritually, consciously and economically. My way of thinking is one in which I’m all about the collective and not the individual. Individualism breeds and fuels crime, spiritual apathy, Oppression etc… I follow a socialistic principle that espouses “from each according to his needs, and to each according to his ability.” So basically I’m about assisting the collective in actualizing their potential.


2. Tell us about your role in co-founding Def Poetry Jam?
The short version is that I was blessed to bring the concept to Danny Simmons (Russell Simmons big brother) who in turn presented it to Russell. From its inception I assembled the initial team which included Debra Pointer who had written the Def Poetry Jam proposal as a result of a first time meeting we had in an old brownstone I was renting in Park Slope Brooklyn. I basically dictated to Debra my thoughts and aspirations and she developed a 32 page proposal which I presented to Danny Simmons. Danny was instrumental in setting up my first meeting with Russell at which point Danny and I stated our case so to speak. Russell in turn along with Stan Lathan convinced HBO to do a 4 show pilot, and the rest as they say is history. Initially I was in charge of the infrastructure which included implementing and running the def poetry jam website as well as making the necessary contacts within the Slam community to bring to the table some of the best Spoken Word Artists to Def Poetry. For the 1st & 2nd season on HBO I was the Talent Executive and Walter Mudu whom I brought on board was my Talent Assistant. We both were responsible for procuring the talent for HBO. And for Def Poetry on Broadway I was an Executive Consultant.

3. What do you think is the future of spoken word?

I strongly feel that Spoken Word is going to make more and more inroads into the Hip-Hop genre as it progresses from being on the intros and out-tros of hip-hop albums to where it will eventually go from the sidestream to the mainstream. But in order for it to break mainstream it’s going to have to follow a similar model as the one laid down by Lauren Hill, Nas, Jill Scott and Floetry. Spoken Word is going to have to ride the coattails of Hip-Hop to catapult it to acceptable levels from a populist vantage point just as Hip-Hop had to ride the coattails of R&B before it became a standalone genre within the mainstream.

The last thing people want to do when they get off from work is have to give deep thought to someone’s words! That’s why a lot of Spoken Word projects don’t fly. You have to have the right combination of music/beats with poetic lyrics. Here’s a hint: “If it sounds like spoken word, it won’t sell.” You have to slip it on them in a way where they are unaware. Great examples I feel of Spoken Word Artists who are on track are Carl Hancock, Rux, and Def Poet Black Ice.

4. How do you balance the writing life with the organizing life?

To me it’s one and the same! My life of writing and my life of organizing are not mutually exclusive because it all starts from the word. John 1:1 states “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” When I’m organizing I have to sell people first on my words. If I don’t communicate effectively I won’t be able to get them to come on board.

5. Where do you see yourself in the next decade?
God willing I would have been a Minister for the Lord, and a beacon of hope for the masses.

ARTIST’S WORK

Until Now

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