You Can't Keep Simmons Down on the Phat Farm.

"Def Poetry Jam" slam dunks the spoken word

He did it with rap. He did it with comedy. Russell Simmons, the man who popularized everyone from LL Cool J to DMX thorough his eponymous hip-hop record company, to Bernie Mac and Martin Lawrence with his groundbreaking, gut-busting comedy enterprise, is now tackling slam poetry. And he's not only commercializing this once underground poetry sub-genre, but he's forging a slam poetry multi-media franchise including books, television, film, CDs and even clothes.

On a rainy Sunday last fall, scribes and celebs alike gathered in the Brooklyn Museum of Art for Def Poetry Jam's kick-off showcase. Almost 500 attendees reveled in featured poet Sonia Sanchez, and "cometry" (comedy/poetry) troupe Nuyorican Rule's performances.

There is, after all, much to celebrate. Since "Def Poetry Jam" launched its 12-city tour this year, it has inked a whirlwind of major media deals. For starters, Crown Publishers picked up the Del Poetry Jam Anthology. Poets Tony Medina, Louis Reyes Rivera and Sonia Sanchez will edit the volume, The Last Poets griot Abiodun Oyewole will pen the intro, Russell Simmons will write the foreword, and Sonia Sanchez will grace the afterword.

Bruce George, a former BIBR staffer who executive produces Del Poetry Jam along with Deborah Pointer and Danny Simmons (Russell's brother), assures that the book will sizzle with the energy of Def Poetry Jam's electric performances. "Good poets write for the page first. They go from the page to the stage." According to George, the editors seek "no name poets" as contributors. Nevertheless, George clarifies, the bards that make the cut will be stellar enough to uphold Del Poetry Jam's de facto motto: "Def Poetry Jam is the Cartier of poets."

Def Poetry Jam is also the rainmaker of poetry. "The Def Poetry Jam Anthology has received the biggest advance ever for a poetry anthology," George enthuses. "We're making history already." Crown is accelerating the book's publishing cycle and will release the book in February 2001 to coincide with another of Def Poetry Jam's colossal coups: a deal with cable television powerhouse HBO. After having enormous success in its partnership with Def Comedy Jam, the Simmons imprimatur and exploding popularity of slam poetry impelled HBO to showcase the "Def Poetry Jam" in a half-hour special to be filmed in Aspen, Colorado. HBO will continue the series in half-hour slam segments to follow Chris Rock's weeky HBO show.

Adding to the enterprise, "Def Poetry Jam" is developing both a CD venture that will marry spoken word with music and a clothing line. The line, called Bone Bristle, includes pouches for pads and pens, and gear with poetry-minded details like pen-shaped zipper pulls and poetry on hang tags. While you're at it, look out for a Def Poetry Jam artist management company, too. "Poets are coming to us to represent them," George says.

It doesn't stop here. George himself has filmed a spoken word documentary entitled Bone Bristle, now in post-production. Word is that movie house majors New Line Cinema, Trimark and Castle Rock are interested in distributing the film, but George remains unfazed and unhurried. "Making a movie is like giving birth to a baby. We want to take our time to come out with a good product." Bone Bristle traces and celebrates the history of spoken word through performances and interviews with poets such as Jessica Care Moore, Sarah Jones and Abiodun Oyewole.

George realizes that slam poetry purists may consider "Def Poetry Jam" and its capitalistic offshoots as artistic adultery. But George, himself a poet, has faith in the integrity of the "Del Poetry Jam" and slam poetry luminaries. "Everything goes through a bastardization process," George concedes, "But then you have the Haki Madhubutis, the Kevin Powells, the Tony Medinas, the Miguel Algarins, the Saul Williamses ... who keep it pure."

For more information on the Del Poetry Jam Anthology and shows contact: Phat Farm, 530 7th Avenue, 14th floor, New York, New York 10018 c/o Def Poetry Jam, Attention: Bruce George, Executive Producer, [phone]