The Campus Activities Board (CAB) brought multifaceted artist Komplex to campus Feb 27 for his second performance on campus. Komplex theme for the night was the basis for his performance, which reflected his slogan, “Love, Peace, Poetry.”
Komplex also goes by the shortened version of his name, KOM, which is an acronym for Keep On Moving.
KOM is a seasoned entertainer, performing since 1999. Currently touring the U.S. college circuit, he has appeared at more than 150 colleges throughout the nation. Although he was advertised as an award-winning slam-poet, KOM explained that the term “slam poetry” inaccurately describes his art.
“That’s a misconception. Slam poetry is a particular form, a niche, within poetry that is competitive and judged based on performance. I consider myself a poet, MC, hip-hop artist, and a spoken word artist. I’m a writer. Anything that happens to me, I try to capture,” he said.
KOM also expressed his feelings about the difference between a hip-hop artist and a rapper.
“I hate rap music; to me, it’s syncopated slavery. There’s what’s on the radio, that’s rap, and then there’s hip-hop. It’s two different worlds,” he observed.
He enthusiastically performed several of his poems including “Heaven In View,” “Strong Black Sista,” and “The Most Beautiful Poem I Never Wrote,” along with sharing anecdotes for each poem. Before he performed his poem “Put it to Music,” for example, he related to the audience the source of inspiration.
“I was asked to write something as a prelude to a marriage proposal. This guy wanted me to say it, and then he was going to ask this woman to marry him. I agreed on the condition that if she said no, I wouldn’t take the blame. After I said it, the woman’s response was ‘Yes, but I don’t want you, I want the poet!'”
Another aspect of his performance included interaction with the audience. During his show, he conversed with the audience members and encouraged them to participate by clapping their hands, snapping their fingers, and repeating after him as a way to enhance the delivery of his poems. He even invited an audience member up and treated her to a massage while he performed his closing poem “Poetic Therapy.”
Kom was well-received by the audience, and several audience members approached him after the show to inquire about contact information, sign his guest book, and buy merchandise, which included T-shirts for men and women and CDs.
Stan Pearson, advisor for Campus Activities Board and associate director of Student Activities, remarked, “This is the second time we’ve brought Komplex. He gives the same love regardless of the people of crowd size. He always enjoys himself, which puts people at ease and makes them feel like they’re at home in some ways. He is real and respectful of his audience while giving meaning to everything he says.”
“I thought Komplex was awesome,” commented Miriam Cisneros, a sophomore. “He was amazing! He went outside of what is in right now. He went aside from the hoochies and bling and went straight to real life. I especially loved the way he interacted with us as an audience. I ended up buying his CD. Heaven in View is one of my favorites.”
At the merchandise table, KOM was prepared to accept credit or debit.
“I’m from New York, home of the hustler. I don’t want to stop you from buying a CD just because you don’t carry cash!”