The Au-Bass-ity of Hope - ProfilesArchive

About Me

MyGen Profile Generator This Nigerian born spoken word artist has appeared on HBOâ€™s Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry an astounding 5 times. She has opened up for Grammy nominated artists India Arie, Les Nubians and Luther Vandross. As a member of the all woman poetry collective, Diva Diction, Bassey appeared on the NAACP Image Awards as part of a tribute to Venus and Serena Williams. Bassey has also been a featured cast member of the National Touring Company of the Tony Award winning Broadway show, Russell Simmonâ€™s Def Poetry Jam. In the Summer of 2003, Bassey was a part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Bassey has also been seen gracing the pages of magazines such as Nylon, Marie Claire, Glamour and Bust. She also recorded an original poem for the Kaiser Foundations, HIV/AIDS campaign, Knowing Is Beautiful. Basseyâ€™s personal and heartfelt work has made her a much sought after performer. She is currently working on her first collection of Poetry and Prose entitled, From This Safe Space and can be found performing in colleges and universities across the country. For more information she can be reached at www.basseyworld.com.

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My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 11/23/2006
Band Website: basseyworld.com
Band Members: One beating heart

Influences: ..object width="425" height="350"I just realized that this makes it seem like my only influence is myself. It's not... I just didn't know where else to put the youtube clips.Also, I like cheese. :)
Sounds Like: I can be really awesome. Like melt in your mouth, free soy chai on the street corner, Sam Cooke singing in the back ground awesome. But other days, I'm shy. Too Sullen to be interesting. To tired to be aware of how I treat other people. Wrapped in my own world. Sometimes that world isn't healthy. I'm a vegetarian who hates vegetables. Sometimes, when there is no one here but me, I choreograph elaborate dance routines which I perform in my muppet underoos and a tank top. My family has no idea that I do this. My friends suspect that something isn't right. My life is a reality tv show with no cameras. I'm highly entertain. Have to stop myself from lapsing into obnoxious on odd days. I remind myself to be a bit more gentle with myself constantly. I'm learning to be easy. I don't want children. Because I'm pretty sure that children don't want me. Yet, somehow I ended up with a genius 14 month old. His name is Elaiwe, which means The Highest Place. I call him E Boogie Baby Boy because he dances and dances to everything that pretends to be music. I've adopted the same philosophy so we spend a lot of time shaking our collective tail feathers to washing machines and pepper mills. I get paid to entertain. He pulls poems out of me for free. I'm not a poet but I play one on TV.This year, I plan to fall in love and stay there. This year, I want someone to love me and mean it.
Record Label: Elaiwe's Mommy Records/Arista
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Tanka Series: were you lost, brother?

*This is a series of tanka(s?) I wrote after seeing the one black guy at the McCain/Palin rally in Wisconsin today. This isn't about the fact that it was a black man supporting McCain. It was about be...
Posted by The Au-Bass-ity of Hope on Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:14:00 PST

Tuesday September 11, 2001

"I watched those buildings collapse on each other like a broken heart... Affirm life. Affirm life. We got to carry each other now. You're either with life or against it. Affirm life" -Suheir Hammad ...
Posted by The Au-Bass-ity of Hope on Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:10:00 PST

Live.

I intended to write about Bernie Mac. Intended to document the two separate times I met him. Once about 8 years ago in the UBO offices and again, about 4 years ago, backstage at the NAACP Image Awards...
Posted by The Au-Bass-ity of Hope on Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:12:00 PST

WIP/Poem: One Good Reason To Stay

One good reason to stay A poem for Phyllis Hyman They said you tried Said you squeezed laughter from stone Whenever you could Hurdled yourself out of bed and fog Long enough to send your songs ...
Posted by The Au-Bass-ity of Hope on Tue, 08 Jul 2008 08:21:00 PST

5/17/08: I AM SEAN BELL (please repost/correction)

Family, It's been a long time. The silence isn't due to a lack of activity, if anything, it's because there's been such a whirlwind that there is nothing and everything to talk about these days. My va...
Posted by The Au-Bass-ity of Hope on Wed, 07 May 2008 08:43:00 PST

Work in progress: Note to Self (My apologies to Taaj Freeman)

Note: The brilliant Taaj Freeman posted a list to herself reminding herself of her amazing (and yes, mama, you are.) And in my writer's block, I wanted to steal it and get some things out. But rather...
Posted by The Au-Bass-ity of Hope on Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:00:00 PST

Brief Challenge: What are you doing with your extra 24 hours?

I should be packing. Let's just get that out of the way. In a few hours, Boogie Boy and I will be on a plane to Connecticut. There are things to be said and done but the point of this is not tha...
Posted by The Au-Bass-ity of Hope on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 06:41:00 PST

free write: A letter from Britney to the paparazzi

Written this morning after seeing the pictures of her crying on a curb. This is me brokenFor months you've documented this spiralDownward with flas...
Posted by The Au-Bass-ity of Hope on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:48:00 PST

When you think it helps...

There is something about her. This woman in the grocery store you've followed from produce to dairy aisle to cereal lane. You want to hug her. The part of you that still, at age 31, ...
Posted by The Au-Bass-ity of Hope on Fri, 11 Jan 2008 11:33:00 PST

Ramble: It May Not Come When You Want It

Anybody who keeps up with my status updates and blogs know that the last few days/weeks/months/year have been... challenging (to say the least).I've been a mess of rising and falling and standing aga...
Posted by The Au-Bass-ity of Hope on Mon, 31 Dec 2007 08:45:00 PST