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Will history white wash Hip Hop? David A. Romero hits the clique again and they get into a deeply heated Hip Hop debate during “Threads and Lines”. Def Poetry get’s a eulogy and a lot of love during the “2 Piece Combo” and Dan gets hot during the #poetry review. Romero Smashes a very special prompted poem during the “Five for your Eye” and hits poetry curve balls out of the park.
[EPISODE INDEX]
- 0:21 – “Watch the Throne” by David Romero
- 4:30 – “Threads & Lines”
- 20:30 – 2 Piece Combo | “I Wanna Hear a Poem” – Steve Colman
- 35:40 – 2 Piece Combo | @supernaturalhuntress
- 44:04 – 5 For Your Eye
With hair done, fit on point, and ready to talk that shit, David Romero showed up for his second episode of Pen Clique looking fresh AF, but more importantly ready to do one of the things I value most about this poet. Romero utilizes his ability to candidly talk about art and poetry to push his craft and poetry forward, not only for himself but for others as well. The Pen Clique has certainly grown because of Romero and the artist he is.
I met Romero through A Mic and Dim Lights. He was a big brother of sorts; he was someone to look up to and learn from, and by the time we would become friends I was already aware of his work and respected the man. As we grew closer I began to slide him samples of things I was working on, essays, poems, etc., and he always gave me hard-hitting notes. I say hard-hitting not because they were harsh, but because they were to the point. I think we are often too soft on ourselves and our peers; sparing feelings do not progress the work. This is not to say we should be mean or insensitive in our assessments, but we can be honest and brief. We can talk about poetry in whatever way we want, and we are not here to protect feelings but to push forward the craft within ourselves. To have homies willing to help you by pointing out your weaknesses is a blessing — a type of real love and respect, and Romero has never spared my feelings.
I was taken aback the first time I sent something over to Romero as what I got was a page of deep notes; he hit me with grammar corrections, weak story points, confusing elements or concepts, and things he enjoyed as well as things that he didn’t. This was one of the few times a poet had hit me with something beyond “It’s dope,” and it made me love and respect him all the more. It felt nice to have an ally in the pursuit of dope shit, hot on the tail of some better version of our work, and unafraid to take or give the L’s. Lead by his fun nature, Romero’s insight is what I value most about the man; he’s always willing to make a joke of some bait shit I may be trying to pull over on my audience and most importantly myself.
As we started in on this Pen Clique concept Romero’s time at USC film school was an immediate resource. We had him on the earlier incarnation of the show and he gave us great notes and critiques about the experience. His insight into how we framed shots helped us devise the roundtable we use in the show now. His attention to detail and ability to see his episode through an objective prism gave us what we needed to tighten things up. He hit us with things we knew we could be doing better, as well as things we had never thought of before and that is a huge benefit to us as artists and producers. A third set of eyes is such a valuable resource for the Pen Clique and we call on our artist homies for their opinions.
Often people are apprehensive to be blunt or honest/ Romero has never and hopefully will never sugar coat the shortcomings in our work as we rely on honest critiques. As uncomfortable as it can be to give someone your true thoughts it is important to remember your work gets better in that discomfort, and we at the Pen Clique are certainly better off for having David Romero as a part of it all.
Write-up by Daniel Hees
Edited by Seraphina Lotkhamnga
Photos by Aubrey Rowe
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Episode 16 ft. Olivia Ku
How does poetry evolve with social media? Guest poet Olivia Ku brings her special blend of micro-poetry and big feels to ‘Threads and Lines’ as they break down Instagram poetry and it’s potential. The Clique reviews a Lucille Clifton classic short poem, and have a constructive roasting session on IG micro poetry during the ‘2 Piece Combo’ poetry review. Lastly, Olivia goes deep into short poetry flex during the “Five For Your Eye” prompted poem.
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Off Page: September 2020
For this month’s showcase, we got the Lao & Mien songstress SIRENA, non-binary poet star Pastiche Queen, clique fam actor/rapper/poet Matt Nye, our first international poet Kitty Kaji, and Dope Spot hiphop homie Jüne!
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Episode 15 ft. Matthew Cuban Hernandez
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.
