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Sunday, January 09, 2011

Hip-Hop Provides Basis for Dialogue

By Adrian Gomez
Journal Staff Writer
          Idris Goodwin is always looking to inspire conversation.
        Whether it's through his spoken word or directing, he's always up for a challenge.
        "There has always got to be a two-way road for conversation," he said. "That's what I try to build on."
        Goodwin is directing "Urban Verbs," which is written and performed by Carlos Contreras and Hakim Bellamy. "Urban Verbs" is a multimedia performance reinterpreting hip-hop's five elements. The elements are being a b-boy, being an MC, grafitti, being a DJ and knowledge of culture. The performance will have sounds provided by DJ Diles, and video by Mark Archuleta.
        Goodwin said coming into the project was good for him because he could help Bellamy and Contreras grow out of their poetry-slam genre.
        "I want to help each one break through," he said. "You can tell that both are comfortable with slam and I want to take their strengths and use them for this show."
        For Goodwin, hip-hop is a heavy influence. He began to enter the poetry-slam circuit when he moved to Chicago. He said like a lot of kids in the late '80s he fell in love with hip-hop culture.
        "When I moved to Chicago and I got immersed into this urban epicenter and I found opportunities to let myself out," he said. "That was a changing point in my life."
        Goodwin says that people connect to hip-hop because it's not exclusive.
        "There's always some sort of battle," he said. "Somehow it translates into daily life. The struggles that we all go through. Some may not be as severe, but there's still a connection."
        Goodwin said with "Urban Verbs," he's just trying to balance three contexts and not lose the individuality of each man.
        "The whole show is one poetic line, and we're trying to shape and mold it into an explosive line," he said. "It's an homage that deserves to be looked at closely."
        While Goodwin has been working on "Urban Verbs" for some time, he's also gearing up for the release of his first book, "These Are the Breaks."
        "I've been working with spoken word for so long, it was a challenging transition to get it all on paper," he said. "With the book, more doors will open for me and my art, and I'm excited to see where it goes."
        Goodwin also will perform an encore of his "New Mexico Remix," which he performed at the Street Art Festival in September.
        "To have Chaz Bojórquez get inspired by my words and do a mural is awesome," he said.
        "Urban Verbs"
        WHEN: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 12
        WHERE: 516 ARTS, 516 W. Central
        HOW MUCH: $15-$18. Tickets available by calling 304-8189
       

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