M U S I C
O U R T O P 5 P I C K S F O R T H I S W E E K :
9ina:
The Weapon of Words
Remember what i was talking about earlier ago? "Poets of The Block"? Well, meet one of the poets that i believe, is the living, breathing effervescent soul of the city. 9ina. If you haven't been to one of his shows, seen one of his intricate poems on social media or at least heard the name bounce around the room, then this is the perfect place to discover the raw talent of :
9ina
The name he came up with is unique, smart and sleek. If you're from the H O O D , then you know what a "9" or "Nina" is. If you don't, they refer to a 9mm, a gun, a weapon. You may think "why would a poet label his image as a weapon?". It is because his words are sharp and precise, there is nothing more poetic than using something that is considered dangerous and flipping it into a memorable name with a subliminal message.
Growing up in one of the ghetto's in the city, 9ina constantly observed his surroundings/environment, detecting patterns within the system that are designed to trap us into failure. He picked poetry as his expressive art, as he was raised to be talkative. He is the middle-child and so he had to be vocal, which soon transferred to becoming vocal about everything he observed. Well I asked, why not take up music? He replied with "I feel like the beat restricts me" referring to how a certain style of instrumental would influence you to compose a song within that style. 9ina belives that his spoken word IS the beat, it IS the music, feeling the rhythm within his word play and political stances in his pieces. He is also Muslim. He stated that the money he makes wants to be Halal, so it can be religiously accepted by Allah SWT and his loved ones.
Making a name for himself in the city could've never been triggered without the hate. 9ina stated that if you're always doing well for yourself, then people will always hate on you, so take the hate and use it as a sign that you ARE doing something right for yourself. "Poetry is the realist sh** that somebody can express". He is right. It's only you, the mic and the audience. No gimmicks, no backing track, just you and the raw words of the brain and heart.
He is content with the arrogant, as not a lot of people will understand the artistic value of poetry, only because of the fact that it's not said over a stupid drill beat. "I am a people person, but I refuse to become a people pleaser" Damn right 9ina.
He acknowledges the young people in the city and wants to showcase to them that there are different opportunities for them. It's not always going to be music, or working that job your parents want you to work. It's about finding what you truly love and making it profitable. After stepping away from the bad influences of his past, the trap that pulls us into a cycle of crime, he became a positive role model for the youth, which is why he works at a youth centre, and why he takes up other activities such as snowboarding, why he does poetry. He wants to prove to the young creatives, dreamers and visionaries that they can become anything they want.