A youth poet and rapper reflects on his experience at the 2000 National All-Star Slam
By Anthony Lopez
My ghetto fame all started in May, on the 20th to be exact, the day of the National Slam in Washington, D.C.!
Seriously, it all started around the end of March, when Russell (Gonzaga), a WritersCorps teacher, heard about me from Papa Joe Dominguez, the recording studio director of the Excelsior Unit of the Boys and Girls Club, and his assistant, Alfred De Tagle. Both Papa Joe and Alfred told Russell I had powerful word play, so Russell wanted to meet me. Two weeks later, I recited something for Russell and he entered me into a WritersCorps poetry slam. I didn't even know what a slam was, I was used to rapping on the streets.
The next week I was in my first slam. I was kind of nervous, but not really, cuz of previous rap shows I had done. The only difference is the crowd. At a show, people would be dancing and me and my dogz would be hollering at the pretty ladies. In a slam, people are more interested in how you feel, and your words. It's a trip.
I did a poem called "Twenty-one Gun Salute" and won. I had another slam four days later and won that one, too. At that slam we were given medals and a trip to D.C. to compete at the Slam League finals.
The trip to D.C. was three weeks away. I was highly excited because I had never been on a plane. I was also nervous because I had never been on a plane before.
The three weeks passed pretty fast and, before I knew it, I was in front of WritersCorps waiting for the shuttle to take me, Russell, Ananda Estevez (WritersCorps teacher) and Janet Heller (WritersCorps project coordinator) to the airport. Me and Rachel (Bolden-Kramer, a youth poet) sat together on the plane and this mean old lady kept looking at me crazy.
It was my first ride so I was tripping. I thought the plane was gonna get highjacked, or crash. When we took off, I was fine. They brought us some food. I ate. Then we hit turbulence and I started to feel sick. I thought it was the food, so I fell asleep. When I woke up again I was still feeling sick. They announced that it was ten minutes before landing. We hit a couple more air bumps, and I was getting sicker. I didn't wanna tell nobody, so I looked around and saw a paper bag. So, yes, I threw up.
Finally we landed and I was feeling better. It was about an hour's drive to the hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn. All the federal buildings amazed me. Our hotel was big, but damn, all those government buildings. I thought that there were agents all over taking pictures and watching.
When we arrived at the hotel, the Bronx team was downstairs and was already waiting to see me. We bonded right away. The San Francisco team hadn't eaten so we went to this fancy restaurant that served you a smaller portion than a McDonald's value meal.
The slam was the next day at a Borders bookstore. It was two stories high and there were people at the top of the stairs watching us. There were a lot of people. I started to think, "Damn, all those people came out to hear my voice." I wasn't nervous at all. If anything, I was excited.
The celebrity poets were up first, and they got low scores. Then the Bronx girls, Donise and Candace, went up and they got our first high scores. After a 15-minute break, with people saying my first piece was righteous, powerful, visual, I was like, "whoa."
We came back from our break and, before I knew it, I had to go on up. I started to get nervous then cuz they were counting on me to win it. Russell suggested I do "Teardrops From a Thug," so I did. I saw people in the audience crying from my poem. I did it off the top of my head like a rap, and I got a perfect score. Well, this one lady gave me a nine and a half and the crowd booed her, so she gave me a ten!
I was kind of thinking people were not gonna feel me because of my thug appearance, but people were coming up to me asking me for my autograph, taking my picture, saying I was totally talented and gifted. I was shell-shocked.
After the slam we headed back to the hotel and ordered Chinese food.This was my last night in D.C. and I got real close to the Bronx team. We stayed up in their room until 5:00 a.m., talking about how differently we dress from each other and exchanging addresses so we could keep in touch.
It was starting to get light outside, so me and Rachel went back to our rooms, slept a little, woke up early for breakfast and say goodbye to our new friends. It was a sad ending cuz we live so far away from each other and it'll be kind of hard visting.
The plane ride back was cool. Everybody was staring at my trophy.
I am ready for more. The slam was a learning experience, and I had fun too. Because of the slam, my lyrics have more conscience and are sometimes political.
Now I don't look at life just for the money. Before the slam, I was livin' for the money. Since my trip, I'm a mentor. Youths come to me with what's on their mind. It's crazy, but I like it. I used to call women bitches or hoz. I don't do that no more. There ain't no need.
I don't know, seriously, what it was that changed me or my thoughts. Maybe it's being heard and having an impact on the crowd. I don't know.
Anthony Lopez, 18, was a member of the youth team that won the WritersCorps All-Star Slam, held in Washington D.C. on May 20. He is a proud Puerto Rican who came to California from Philadelphia. Anthony will study creative writing and business at City College of San Francisco this fall. He would like to thank WritersCorps, Russell (Gonzaga), Borders Books, Papa Joe Dominguez, Alfred De Tagle, and "all my true folks" for believing in him.
