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How wild can poetry tours really get? Matthew Cuban Hernandez gives us the raw truth about his tour triumphs and blunders during “Threads and Lines.” The Clique explores how to overcome thick boy insecurities, as well as some huge poetry fails during the “2 Piece Combo.” Lastly, Cuban kicks his prompted ‘5 For Your Eye’ poem off top with another Pen Clique freestyle.
[EPISODE INDEX]
- 0:59 – “To Stay” by David Romero
- 6:25 – “Threads & Lines”
- 15:19 – 2 Piece Combo | “Thick” – Jus Marvin
- 34:22 – 2 Piece Combo | @worldofwordsbyme
- 41:24 – 5 For Your Eye
There are three poets in a hazy living room filled with smoke. Aretha’s voice is floating in the background. Two of these poets, Matt Cuban and Kuya David, are actively exchanging, of all things… magic tricks. Cards fly as both are really only using their quick wit to fool a captivated audience of five, leaving them with the most valuable thing we can offer to one another — a smile. It’s a moment of silly distraction, a reprieve from the struggles and responsibilities we have placed on ourselves, and a chance to love one another by simply exchanging smiles. That is what this art shit has always been about for me; it’s a means of escape and a celebration of something better than the way things are. Cuban’s card trick was mad decent. His delivery was perfect, but his spirit was infinite as it is in his poetry and his life. Cuban leaves me with a reminder that we are all just stealing magic tricks from God and showing them off to each other, hoping we can make each other smile.
I must say I personally had my fan-boy moments as Cuban arrived. I have always held a real love for both his poetry and character.. He always hit all the check marks for me in his work; his performances are always compelling and his humility is equated only by his sense of power. Offering tragedy and joy in the same breath, Cuban gives his audience new magic tricks and tools for survival. I also found my love for art through survival; my family had little growing up but mom always made sure I had something I was excited to read and Grandma kept me on deck with video games. I would find my first sense of God in Shel Silverstein and Super Mario World; I was blown away by these tricks that offered me a way to escape my situation and feelings. Cuban’s work brings me back to that thought. We are surviving something and we have this dope gift to offer each other. These illusions are made up of our struggles and love. Little boys escaping pain through Zelda and Star Wars was real. The ways we dealt with life traumas differs but when I meet an artist with the caliber of Cuban’s (who inspires my own personal rescue mission) I can’t help but feel like a nervous padawan hoping to steal a couple Jedi mind tricks from a master.
Cuban’s easy demeanor quelled my nerves and personal doubts and he offered us a real genuine appearance on Pen Clique. It can be hard for guests to roast poetry on the show, but when they do and it’s from a place of respect and love for the craft; as I’ve said numerous times I believe it makes us all better. Cuban was not afraid to take shots, but retained a sense of love for poetry through it all by offering each critique with encouragement to keep up the work. He gave us a huge overview of his life during the “Threads and Lines” segment, and he was one of the few brave guests who freestyled their “Five for Your Eye” prompted poem. His entire time with Pen Clique was rooted with gratitude and love for the art which leads him into a better life.
Cuban most importantly has the one thing I respect most in artists — a real participation in activism! I believe most if not all of our social problems can be combated with service, and Cuban not only does that through his poetry but through his lifestyle. Cuban was someone I wanted on the show because of his poetry but I also wanted to link up with him because I’m inspired by what he puts into the community. From his work with youth poets to bringing art to incarcerated Americans to being a sweet kind man, he is proof we are tapping into something undeniably divine by kicking bars and making folks feel something … even if it’s all just magic tricks we use to make our homies smile.
Write-up by Daniel Hees
Edited by Seraphina Lotkhamnga
Photos by Aubrey Rowe
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Mini Ep: Reflecting on Quarantine-Era Pen Clique
After daily posts and weekly livestreams all throughout 2020, we ghosted in April 2021 without warning. We finally address what happened to Pen Clique, where we’ve been, what we’ve been up to and our plans for Pen Clique.
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Episode 03 ft. Alex Alpharaoh
Take a journey through skid row with critically acclaimed poet Alex Alpharaoh as your guide during “Threads and Lines”. The Clique touch the heavens and the bottom of the barrel with the highest and lowest “2 Piece combo” scores yet! Alpharaoh closes us out by shutting ‘Merica down during the “Five For Ya Eye”.
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Episode 21 ft. Soul Stuf
Christian “Soul Stuf” Perfas unveils deep love lessons learned through poetry during ‘Threads and Lines’ and leaves the whole clique ready to continue the adoration by giving Mic Ting 3 perfect scores during the ‘2 Piece combo’. They all reluctantly reachinto their cringey poetry past for the #poetry review before Soul Stuf hits the Clique with a perfectly formatted Contrapuntal for the ‘Five for Ya Eye’ Prompted poem.
