“I’m into moving language, being moved by language;
utilizing language, bending it and twisting it, and finding new ways by which
to approach it in order to bring light to whatever subject matter I’m speaking
on.”
That certainly is a mouthful. But Rochester native Amir
Sulaiman would have to have his mouth full of language to get the recognition
he has been receiving of late. The poet, writer, and educator, who has made his
way from Clifford Avenue and Penfield to Oakland, California, has published a
book and released two CDs featuring his brand of poetry, politics, and hip-hop.
Sulaiman’s politically conscious work began taking form
while still a pre-teen, immersed in hip-hop culture. “Actually, I started off
emceeing before I was considered a poet, as I am now,” says the spoken word
artist. But soon, his focus shifted to a less musical art form. “When I started
writing poetry in the mid-’90s, I started off doing poetry at Java’s [Café].”
Writing and performing is where the difference lies between
poetry and spoken word. “Essentially, they are the same thing,” explains
Sulaiman. “It’s just that poetry isn’t necessarily said out loud, it can just
be written. Spoken word necessitates that it is spoken.”
His work has linked him to such notables as writer and
activist Kevin Powell, who invited the performer to open for his State of Black Men in America Tour Kickoff in Atlanta. He is also sought after as a public speaker, and he gives
presentations and workshops in between his teaching, writing, and recording.
The self-proclaimed poet and spoken word artist’s CD
releases feature him reciting his pieces both with a musical background and a
cappella. There are also tracks with recordings of discussion sessions Sulaiman
has had, complete with crowd reaction. It sort of gives you a glimpse of what
it’s like to be at one of his readings, as the vibe of the venue is captured
and replayed in stereo.
His next disc, Like A
Thief In the Night, is due out January 3.
“This album is more about victory,” he says. His last
effort, Dead Man Walking, showcases
the struggle of the oppressed man (the title cut), the affectionate heart
(“Live Life Love”), and the sexually violated woman (“Bluest I”). It differs
from the forthcoming Night, which
represents “the time for the socially and spiritually aware, awake human being
to take a position of influence in the arts, politics, et cetera.”
Sulaiman takes this role upon himself with his poetry, even
if his captive audience doesn’t share the task personally. “Many people
recognize my voice as their own,” he says on his website.
His own voice,
however, led him to a national stage. After getting his B.A. in English at
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Sulaiman moved to
Atlanta and began making a name for himself amongst the local circle of awake
human beings. Some of these folks recorded him speaking his word and sent the
video to Russell Simmons PresentsDef Poetry. The video caught the eye of
the show’s producers, who invited him to perform at a taping.
The August 2004 airing featured Sulaiman’s now-infamous
piece, “Danger,” which appears on Walking — “infamous” because it didn’t sit too well with Uncle Sam’s boys.
“Several FBI agents came to see me, my [family and friends],
and the school at which I teach,” Sulaiman says. “They asked: ‘Is Amir trying
to spread Islam through hip-hop? Is his poetry anti-American?'”
A grand jury issued a subpoena for a list of names,
addresses, and phone numbers of Sulaiman’s students, and he was placed on the
FBI’s “no fly” list. He took action with language.
“I wrote a public statement called ‘The High Cost of Freedom
of Speech,'” he says. This statement, published on his website and elsewhere on
the web, outlined his position on what he feels he shouldn’t have to ask for.
“The Most High has invested speech in me,” he affirms. “So,
I’ve already been given my right to speech. It would be a form of humiliation
for me to have to ask [the government] for my right to speech. They are neither
in a position to give nor revoke my right to speech.”
In the wake of the statement’s publication — it has also
been circulated at public events — the heat on the wordsmith has dissipated.
“As we share our stories,” he says, “it makes it more
difficult for them to move in secrecy.” But his controversial work was hot
enough for a repeat appearance on Def
Poetry. Theshow invited him for
another taping, which aired this summer.
Sulaiman views the entire event as motivation to reach
people by refusing “to remain silent in the face of such blatant hypocrisy,
thievery, and tyranny.”
His distaste for the powers that be, however, is sometimes
misconstrued as advocating violence. While he refers to “winning the fight,”
instead of a guns-in-the-air, fists-to-the-face approach, he advocates fists in
the air, words in the face.
Since taking time off from molding young minds, Sulaiman has
been waving his fist at podiums, speaking at events and conferences. His pen is
never too far away, though, as he’s been writing in preparation for Like A Thief In The Night.
“This album will be the first of it’s kind,” Sulaiman says
of the forthcoming release on Word Records. “It’s the first album on this
record label created specifically and exclusively for spoken word artists.”
The American-born Muslim’s
spirituality is a major contributor to his drive.
“Islam plays an integral part in my work,” he says. “It’s
really the foundation, the basis, and perspective by which I approach all
subject matter.”
But he doesn’t look at his art as religious.
“I don’t think you’d call it missionary poetry. But,
understanding the language of religious prophets has colored my speech,” he
says. “Between that and hip-hop is where I find my home for writing.”
This residence likely lies on the borders of both
Poetryville and Hip-Hop Land, as his work often walks the thin line between the
two.
“It mixes a lot of spoken word and hip-hop, just lyricism,”
Sulaiman says. “But, there are some things that, no doubt, you’ll say ‘it’s
poetry’; some things, no doubt, ‘this is just [hip-hop].'”
The orator is optimistic about things to come. With his
third release in its finishing stages, he speaks positively of “our victory.”
“I’ve been writing about the awake souls taking the reigns,” he says, “and
enjoying and utilizing their inevitable victory that cannot be turned away.”
Sulaiman says he feels victorious when the voices he echoes
begin to speak words of their own, twisting and bending their own language in
their own light.
And so goes this man, walking like a thief in the night,
armed only with a mouthful to keep the high cost of freedom of speech down,
until it is truly free.
Amir Sulaiman can
be seen on Russell Simmons Presents Def
Poetry, Season 5, Episode 7 on HBO (check your local listings), or you can
get more info, buy CDs, and download pieces on his website,
www.amirsulaiman.com.
This article appears in Sep 14-20, 2005.
