Q. Is there much difference between NovaKane as an MC and NovaKane as a poet?
Poetry allows me to break out of the confines of rhyme and break the rules. Hip Hop was my first love and it’s the music that moves my body, so hip hop is the more light and fun side of my art.
Q. Was there a particular event or person that made you want to express yourself through spoken word?
Yes, an old high school teacher of mine invited me to join a youth team that performed at the International Youth Poetry Slam. It changed my life forever.
Q. Tell us a bit about Poetic Portraits Of A Revolution, what was the aim of this project and what was the outcome?
It was a project that I helped to create that sent myself along with two other poets, and a filmmaker, to Egypt and Tunisia to document the popular revolutions in both countries though interviews, spoken work poetry, radio segments and video. The goal was to gain a greater understanding of the incredible grassroots movements as well as to spread awareness of them among youth in the U.S.
Q. Is it difficult being a Spoken word artist in America, do you feel restricted at what you can or can’t say at times? Or have you ever encountered times where your audience disagrees with your content?
It is hard making it as an artist anywhere, but I’ve been lucky to have great mentors and supportive communities. There are people who sometimes disagree with our messages, but that is okay, because one of our goals is to create dialogue and make people think.
Q. What other projects are you currently working on?
A new hip hop album and continuing to run and create programmes with the youth organisation I run, Sacrificial Poets.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5-J91SUzww[/youtube]
For more information on NovaKane and Sacrificial Poets visit http://sacrificialpoets.org/
Rishma Dhaliwal

Rishma

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