Live Review: LISTEN: Dean Atta ‘I Am Nobody's Nigger'

You’ve probably never heard of DEAN ATTA. Unfortunately poets don’t get a whole load of attention, especially not in Australia. But Atta, a British poet, has caught the eyes and ears of the gods of the internet, so sit up, watch and listen.

The 27-year-old has run the media circuit before 2012. As a homosexual black man, Atta became an object of interest, pointing out the lack of recognition of others like him in mainstream rap music. This year, his spoken word pieces have generated an even wider audience with the release of ‘I Am Nobody’s Nigger.’

Before the poem, ‘I Am Nobody’s Nigger’ began as a simultaneous tweet and Facebook status - “Rappers, when you use the word ‘nigger’ remember that’s one of the last words Stephen Lawrence heard, so don’t tell me it’s a reclaimed word”. Lawrence was a black man fatally lynched by the now convicted David Norris and Gary Dobson in the UK.

Poetry, like music, is able to capture raw emotion. The impact of spoken word, with each sentence like a smack in the face, is what gives this piece its power.

Dean Atta and ‘I Am Nobody’s Nigger’ speaks to the talent of spoken word artists. Perhaps more importantly, it speaks to people beyond the usual crowd interested in poetry. And boy does it make you think.

Words by Hannah Story.