This urban theater project is a collaboration between 4TheatrSake, the 1440 Collective, the Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center, the Cedi Collection, Detroit film-maker Ryan Myers and Plowshares Theater Company. Directed by Wyldchild L. Chemist, the soundtrack for this staging features original music by EAPro’s Nadir Omowale.

Written like final round slam poetry, In the Blood keeps it real in the “here and now.” Hester is a homeless single mother who is devoted to her five children, and struggles to find ways to feed them. Five actors play her five young treasures. The same actors also play the adults who help or hinder Hester in her quest to “get a leg up”. Lovingly comical moments are juxtaposed by the harsh world of poverty in this modern masterpiece.

The idea for the Detroit staging is to provide an all-inclusive social theater experience where audiences will witness compelling performances by 4Theatrsake’s actors as they illustrate the challenges faced by Hester, and the characters that surround her. Following the performance, the actors will remain on-stage (in character) to allow the audience a chance to react to and ask questions about the story they’ve just witnessed. Moderated by Oneita Jackson of O Street, this after-drama forum will focus on poverty, disease, human trafficking, race in a post-racial society, and what we can do to bring change.

The cast and crew of In The Blood represent Detroit artists from diverse backgrounds. Actor, director, writer Wyldchild L. Chemist was recently invited to join Plowshares Theatre Company’s new ensemble as an artistic associate. He will be participating in The Kennedy Center’s fellowship program for Theater Capacity Building in Culturally-Specific Organizations.

Named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Innovators for the Next New Wave,” Suzan-Lori Parks is one of the most exciting and acclaimed playwrights in American drama today. She is the first African American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for the Broadway hit Topdog/Underdog and is a MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient, among her many other honors.

In The Blood by Suzan Lori-Parks
Virgil H. Carr Cultural Arts Center
311. E. Grand River
Detroit, Michigan

Performance Times:
Friday, January 8, 2010 – 8pm
Saturday, January 9, 2010 – 4pm & 8pm
Sunday, January 10, 2010 – 4pm
$40 admission
BUY TICKETS NOW

(Your treat for reading the post all the way through: Use promo code “A” to save $15 off the ticket price!)

Distinctive vocals, creative rhymes, and personality are ingredients that make Detroit’s Maceo Tha GrammarGod one to watch. But truth be told, ‘rapping’ isn’t the hard part. If you have enough soul, a poetic spirit, and can rhyme to a beat, blessing the mic is easy.

His skills as an MC are undoubtedly a result of his longtime devotion to his craft, and he has no intention of putting the mic down.  Back in 2001 he joined the Scribe Tribe Syndicate, a group that started as an online crew in 1999 (in the Throw Down Temple forum of Hip-Hop legend Davey D’s Website).  Throughout this excursion, he’s showcased his skills as one of Hip-Hop’s best-kept secrets. And despite the lack of promotional backing and support upcoming artists receive from Detroit’s media outlets and mainstream music venues, Maceo refuses to give up.

His sophomore album, Return of Tha GrammarGod, is a bit different from most of today’s hip hop because it is a concept record.  Each song relates to a different movie.  “Reflections (Boyz in the Hood)” recalls Maceo’s younger days on the streets of Detroit.  “Primal Instinct (Planet of the Apes)” uses gorilla samples that invokes the mood that Maceo creates as he is stomping other MCs in battle.

But make no mistake.  It’s the lyrical approach that separates Maceo from the multitude of rap artists. He believes in staying true to the roots of hip-hop, when rocking the microphone was more boasting about your skills as an MC, than your materialistic possessions.

When asked about his style of rap, and how it fits into the genre, he simply states, “My style is a style that’s not a style. I’m too versatile to be classified as a certain type of MC.”

Return of tha GrammarGod was mixed and mastered by EAPro’s Nadir Omowale at the 1440 Collective Studio.  Maceo will return to the 1440 for the album’s launch party.

“Yo, I’ve been plugged in with the 1440 Collective for almost three years now…they’re like family,” Maceo says.  “Whenever I have a project or a promotion in mind, the first place I think of using as a resource is the 1440.

“And I’ll tell you this – if you’re an independent artist, the 1440 is your ‘one stop shop’!  There’s nothing that they can’t accommodate.  I mean, I’ve done everything from record release parties to photo shoots there.

“Besides that,” he continues, “I’ve recorded music, completed post production for songs, and I’ve gotten 2 albums mixed and mastered by Nadir, who in my opinion is one of the illest engineers in the game.  If you don’t know, then you better ask somebody…”

Thing is, between the versatility and lyricism, and the self proclaimed title of “Grammar God”, Maceo does come down to earth.  And from time to time he feels the need to exorcise the demons of discourse and contempt, and explain his love/hate relationship with fans, the Detroit Hip-Hop scene, and the music industry.  But regardless of what mood he’s in at any given moment, Maceo’s a cat who’s impossible to ignore.

September 19, 2009
Maceo Tha GrammarGod
Return of Tha GrammarGod Hip-Hop Showcase/Launch Party
The 1440 Collective
1440 Gratiot 1-B
Detroit, Michigan 48207
8pm to 12am
FREE!!