Dahlak Brathwaite on Def Poetry Jam: A Peculiar Evolution

[@ahmedlammissi7703]

I remember watching this like over a 15 yrs ago. It still gives me the same feeling.

[@AXL5221]

14 years and this still hits

[@BicolBandit]

Just saw him perform this just three hours ago. Love it.

[@FALLACYix]

no way this dropped 16 years ago.

[@purplesilverplatinum]

OMG. I love him. And this poem...never better spoken!!! WoW.

[@asiadampier]

Ugh I am in love!

[@kenneshiwa]

I love this poem.... This is soo true. Why would anyone want to be a part of something that has a negative connotation where its origin? We sometimes forget where we came from and what we have been through as a people. It's now 2007. If the Jena 6 is not evident enough, we truly don't know who we are.

[@Chilair1]

Dahlak...thank you for saying that.

[@gerchie13]

wow im just .....wow.....blowed.....speechless

[@DezireVirtue44]

STANDING OVATION!!!! Powerful words. This man is awesome. I love his truth.

[@TeAira19]

oh my gosh i love this guy i would love to meet him

[@sowy23]

I love this...

[@taccora]

wow. Last time I heard something from him he was 19. Just goes to show you how time flies.

[@xXlilmissniah09Xx]

thats my favorite part

[@stavontaestubbs8499]

2018

[@Goshin89]

thats what i'm talking about

[@DasiygirlNish]

DEFINITELY!!!

[@BeeNaturalMe]

powerful

[@rob143]

its amazing how many ppl use the that term soo loosely and never even consider the meaning behind it... great poem real tight

[@Official_Meshay]

DAMNNNNN!!! Get it!!! love!

[@lanai313]

i love his poems

[@toast43]

he says something at 1:02-1:03 and ive heard malcolm X say it what does it mean

[@ILuvKhrisJ]

@mskillebaby how many times did you watch it or pause it to get that down

[@xXlilmissniah09Xx]

i love this

[@LextheLion333]

Wow that almost sounds like the content of most of Def Poetry jam.

[@richardbalfour]

Bless...

[@xSimplyBlossomxLil]

i love this!

[@BahreNeGash]

Dahlak,,,, Great show, Way to go kid, keep it coming. PS: Who ever gave you that first name had to be very proud of his roots. I love your name for I know what it represents.

[@KCBombay]

Very Powerful!!!

[@Antilles86.]

wow...respect

[@sianacampbell3028]

*meditating on this one.*

[@zoeis13]

He is preaching the TRUTH!!!

[@DarealLyza]

It is so amazing... the controversy over one little word... I'm black, and from a black country in the wester diaspora (This means we are African in origin too), and this word is so unimportant and insignifican. African Americans must have sUch a Black-experience!!

[@MsVALC]

I love this...4 real!

[@clairtee]

deep

[@danereyna13]

what song are you talkin about??

[@YoungRell]

Dahlak is off da chain!!!That was all tooo true//

[@Derci]

had to rewind this shit 50 times to understand that exlusive sh!t.... but in the end you can't help but to bob your head in agreement. He was saying what needed to be said... The Truth

[@krisdi08]

I love this poem..It's the truth what he is saying..some people think it's cool to use the N word when it's not..I stopped using the word when I sat back and realized I was degrading myself and other black people...Thank you Dahlak Brathwaite..

[@kidryu16]

This joint is real daddy, officially.

[@khaleema23]

Damn ..

[@RionSpears]

yo dahlak is simply exposing the truths that many people are afraid to explore...no racism involved!!! yo D we the future!!!

[@elegba]

killed it

[@RionSpears]

I think its guilt...dont be phased by that bullshit...u know the truth and everyone needs to hear it!!! keep doin ya thing my brotha!!!- Chicago

[@stowys]

When he pulled down his hat and started talking like that, why did I immediately start thinking of Eminem? XD

[@zimmiy]

@fckliberalS7 Fact: After the civil rights act durning the 1950's instead of being overtly racist it changed to a subtle racism with the belief that African-Americans were lazy, and that they( being African-Americans) needed to pull themselves by their "boot straps" which in actuality is much more difficult than it sounds. Regardless of how "equal" we claim America is,there is wealth distribution gap is spread wide between African-Americans and European Americans. Since wealth builds over time

[@jayelowell]

right knowledge!

[@Lucrowse]

Thats deep man.

[@vernisha1]

this is deeeep!!

[@shellaz01]

Maybe, but the extent to which women have traditionally been excluded from any rights or power in many societies is not something to sneer at. Depending on the social or work situation, I have to watch out for being treated like crap for being black or for being a woman, so preventing mistreatment from either direction is VERY important to me. Don't belittle one struggle to boost another.

[@mznonchalant08]

-ilike this dude.

[@504Diva]

dude off the chain....

[@xXlilmissniah09Xx]

how?

[@nessimanonga]

its arabic its the reply to the typical greeting of salaam malekum and means peace also upon you! Malcolm said it because he was a member of the nation then a muslim

[@NICKANGEL867]

tell it!

[@WilSylvince]

Oh shit...hot shit!

[@SamilleTaylor2002]

True that my dude :-)

[@mskillebaby]

@ILuvKhrisJ lol honestly i dont remember anymore

[@Malkiamwafrika]

He reminded me of Julian Curry.

[@cwolf2035]

A word used to exclude, is now exclusivly used by the excluded and with it, excluding it's original excluders,who use the slang to now get inclusion into the group of which their group wanted to be removed from... american politics, erase the complication and confusion....

[@rob143]

look up Beau Sia's "I'm So Deep" i promise u will not sotp laughing

[@stinkinfishguts]

"I'm a nigga too! I lost my roots! No knowledge of self!" -Lil Wayne This man however, is on some knowledge.

[@kirbyriley]

Peace to the good poets and the inpiration!!!

[@Shayluvli]

truth.

[@illliteracy]

@fckliberalS7 you need a hug.

[@DavidFnMorgan]

at Miss160588 he's basically sayin bein a "nigga" aint cool or whateva... like bein a nigga represents everything wrong about black people but people (mainly reffering to non-blacks) use the word as if its a free pass to be cool or whateva i kno that explanation sucked, but u kinda get where im coming from??

[@Proph14]

arabic for peace be with you

[@avantgarde84]

"Why isn't race a moot point yet? It was for me a long time ago" race isn't because everyone doesn't think like you unfortunately and if you are a person that accepts all people and acknowledges the advantages the you may receive because of your race then you are not included in that obvious generalization...so don't take it to heart, just like me as a black person, i have to understand that all the negative stereotypes portrayed by the media everyday isn't what we are as people...

[@KidATL06]

yeah im using it too much. my music? not as much tho.

[@MegamaRay]

Someone get those lyrics, then i'd be impressed

[@icareminsung]

this was too real.

[@koolinturn]

Story of my life.

[@ducky2710]

I think noone should say i actually think it takes from our people. I dont think it should be used at all in my opinion!

[@The_M_Files]

hope my asian and mexican potnas see this!

[@cloressa94]

"I'm not racist but" ...if you ever have to preface anything you say with that then you feel that what you are about to say is something that a racist would say. But that's not why I'm responding. People love to say oh Black people just want a welfare check they're lazy they need a job. Get your facts straight because 1st of all to even get a welfare check you have to ALREADY have a job. The check isn't meant to nor does it have the ability to sustain it is only meant to assist.

[@NaiJorJul]

@illliteracy this dude need a life not a hug

[@skuffs]

A word used to exclude is now exclusevily used by the excluded. And with it excluding it's original exclutus. Who use the slang to now gain inclusion. Into the group of which that group wanted to be removed from. American politics of race. Complicated and Confusion.

[@Amarra2012]

To be honest it really don't matter to me. I just don't like how other black people allow non black people to call them that. But I don't like anybody to call me a nigga. Black or not. Because it's always been a negative term.

[@TheatreFreakGeek]

My friends who are white always ask me why they can't say the" N" word and I don't really give them an answer. I just tell them to think about it. I don't understand why they (my friends) want to say it. They seem so troubled because they can't. Again, I really don't understand. I mean...just don't say it! Right??? Can we start there... maybe?

[@yordana19]

i love nutella too

[@abigailpoppins6183]

Slash.

[@xXlilmissniah09Xx]

to pennys1

[@rastan1977]

its not about racism its about jumping the que

[@OumTHMDY]

He's mine B*tch!! memba dat! ;-)

[@ILuvKhrisJ]

Had to listen to the poem a second time caus ei was too focused on how good he aint even gotta try and out the mack on LoL

[@StobzillaYT]

No, we really honestly don't.

[@Crackiswizzack]

if you dig his work, check mine out!

[@birdofarcadia]

This is excellent (but I wouldn't call it a "poem" - but that's ok!) And I agree that it would be best if everyone lay the N-word to rest.

[@treestar]

does it matter if what hes saying is the truth...I'm not ghetto at all put I can speak some truth based off what I see and hear in my own community I live surrounded my ghetto people...well off or not any black person can have something to say including other races

[@StobzillaYT]

@fckliberalS7 Your great great "something" (as you so eloquently put it) put his own life on the line through choice, The African's brought over to the USA. were not afforded the same courtesy and were forced to work for no pay. I am hoping you see the difference, I am somehow doubting it though.

[@poorfa4s]

dont hate a tree for its dirty roots..

[@bohemiansunset117]

man that was seriously legit. he makes A LOT of really good points about society today and the use of the n-word. thanks to H34RTL3SSINS4N3 for typing up all the words :)

[@Noranapps]

I want to kidnap this guy and make him perform in canada (not creepy at all, it's an understatement)... GAAH. why are we so damn behind, Canada?

[@iHipHop]

everything is poetry. your intelligence is meaningless, and instead is lost in egotistical understanding of the world that has translated into division. all things have no bounds, and you live within the stars instead of the darkness of space that makes up most of the universe. you rather shine like a star than know the whole galaxy. a poet makes all things a poem. an artist turns the world into an artform. a fool divides, concludes, and moves ignorantly. choose your posisition...

[@jamaartyr]

LOL

[@StraitSomali613]

I think its completely wrong. But I also think black people saying that word is completely wrong to. Because the most of the black people saying it are ignorant to its meaning.

[@shellaz01]

'I don't really see how I benefit from slavery', really? You're caucasion but not from the States, fine. But which caucasion cultures are you descended from that didn't use black slave labor to fill up their coffers?

[@BlindAsFate]

youre confusing rap and hiphop.

[@sue01234567890]

so you consider yourself a racist?

[@abigailpoppins6183]

2,3 and 4 paired up. Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.