ROBERT WADDELL | VIRTUAL BORICUA
The poet-musician Not4Prophet is a refreshing, inspiring individual. Anyone who has ever met him or heard him perform knows he carries the confidence and energy of someone who creates art for the sake of his community and its political struggle. Very little of what he does involves seeking fame or glory. He’s about his art. Not 4Prophet holds to the Punk Rock dictum of “doing things yourself with a positive mental attitude.” – a saying I first heard from the poet-musician when he was promoting Machetero – an indie film about Puerto Rican liberation in which N4P had a lead role.
Now, Not4Prophet has published his first book of poetry, and it is in a word – amazing.
Last of the Po’Ricans y Otros Afro-artifacts is a triumph – bridging a language gap between hip-hop and Nuyorican poetry. With deep revolutionary love, the poetry here resounds with a personal truth and a playfulness of words while always looking to People’s struggles for inspiration.
In his introduction, Tony Medina writes, “In the tradition of Langston Hughes, Julia de Burgos, Amiri Baraka, Nikki Giovanni, Pedro Pietri, Louis Reyes Rivera … Not4Prophet advances a poetics of love and righteous indignation at the plight of his people beholden to the mercilessness of greed, indifference, and profit.”
His verses also signify another kind of love revolutionary voice – Emily Dickinson. There is that pent up passion near explosion and exultation one rarely encounters in contemporary Nuyorican poetry. La Bruja, Mariposa, Willie Perdomo, for sure but Not4Prophet harkens back to the wellspring of original Nuyrican poetry that dared to give voice and identity to a people’s pride, personal struggle, and political righteousness. His is a polemic without sacrifice of artistry or hard work.>>READ MORE
