 URSULA
RUCKER |
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"Don´t give in to
the confines of space and time/Climb out of our
corrugated box/Lock all boundaries in the closet/All
limitations in safe deposit/Lose the key/Go on a
thinking spree/Free your mind/Free your mind/Free
your mind."
- From Q & A, Silver or Lead
Philly-born poet, Ursula Desiré Rucker knocked
'em out of the box with her debut album, Supa Sista.
Intricately weaving words with music on her sophomore
effort, Silver or Lead, she cracks her whip on unsuspecting
and complacent ears worldwide. Kicking knowledge
on everything from womanhood to slavery, to love,
sexism, politics and more, Ursula redefines spoken
word with her trademark socio-political urgency
and sweet "song-speak." As one of the
architects of Philadelphia's poetic revival, Ursula
landed in the spotlight far before slams and Def
Poetry Jam made headlines. Following in Supa Sista's
acclaimed footsteps, Silver or Lead boasts even
more provocative music and word fusion.
With song after poem after song - the two become
one as Silver or Lead proves that poetry has never
been this head bobbing. On the Jazzanova-produced
"What A Woman Must Do," she offers a biting
testament on the complexities of what it means to
be "She" in this world. With "Release,"
Ursula flexes her lyrical muscle as she rides the
up-tempo, Congo-driven smash by Masters At Work's
Little Louie Vega. "What he did is amazing.
I
have never ever done anything like that; it's very
musical. It's Afro-Latin, like whoa!," Ursula
explains. Tit for tat, Ms. Rucker delivers the intro
to Vega's new Latin album. Bumping soulfully through
the speakers, the John Wicks produced "Lonely
Can Be Sweet" and "Damned If I Do"
both host a melodic, hypnotic Ursula.
Although she's globe trotted with innovators like
4 Hero and The Silent Poets, it was her coveted
album-ending slot on The Roots first three studio
LP's that made her go boom. Under the direction
of Roots drummer, Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson,
Ursula crafted "The Unlocking," a disturbing
account of sexual exploitation, the crack-mama tales
of "Alice in Wonderland" and the tragic,
"Return To Innocence Lost." "He [Ahmir]
was of the belief that having a poem at the end
of the album and having a woman do it was important.
He believed in me and wasn't afraid to make that
choice each time," Ursula reflects. Her last
poem with The Roots, "Return To Innocence Lost,"
fittingly returns to close Silver or Lead. "That's
one of my most personal poems I've ever written
in my life. It's mine," Ursula explains, of
the lyrical documentation of her older brother's
life, and, violent death.
Drawing on influences from prestigious Black Arts
Movement activist poet and icon Sonia Sanchez to
Frida Kahlo, Zora Neale Hurston and even Prince,
the Temple University Journalism graduate balances
motherhood, activism and artistry with aplomb. With
her rhythmic stories of struggle, she's confident,
never preachy. Explaining her quest to rouse people
from the dismal depths of the matrix and dish verse
on subjects that society often keeps in the closet,
she keeps it simple: "I am driven to deal with
real
issues." In 1994, Ursula stood up for the very
first time and faced an audience with her stunningly
genuine verse at Zanzibar Blue in Philadelphia.
Almost a decade later, Ursula is happily married
with three sons. She's transfixed audiences from
Tokyo to Capetown alongside the likes of Gil Scott-Heron,
Mos Def, Macy Gray and even the late great Nina
Simone. When Ursula - timid at first - grips the
microphone tightly, all ears hone in. Don't bet
on this veteran to ever sit down and be quiet. Her
words are power. |
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