Drumma Boy, Def Poetry Jam’s Danny Simmons Join National Civil Rights Museum’s Poetry Slam

Ahead of the grand reopening of The National Civil Rights Museum, the Museum will be hosting the Drop the Mic Poetry Slam competition.

The event is aimed at giving youth and adults ranging in ages from 15-25 a chance to express their views on freedom and what it means now to the current generation.

The ‘Drop the Mic’ Poetry Slam takes place on February 22, under the theme “My Freedom Is.”

The National Civil Rights Museum’s “Drop the Mic Poetry Slam” competition will be awarding the grand prize winners $1,000 along with a performance spot on the main stage at The National Civil Rights Museum’s reopening, amongst other prizes. The second place winner will receive $750 and the third place winner will receive $500.

The competition will have celebrity judges including Danny Simmons, brother of hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons and co-producer of Def Poetry Jam, spoken word artist and 88.5 WQOX radio personality Aisha Raison and music producer and rapper Drumma Boy.

Contestants, who were looking to participate in the Drop the Mic Poetry Slam competition, were required to submit a two minute video uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo at poetryslam.civilrightsmuseum.org.

All contestants that entered will be voted on by online viewers from February 11-14 in each age division. The contestant in each age division that gets the most votes will be selected as finalists to perform in Memphis, Tennessee on February 22, 2014.

The Drop the Mic Poetry Slam will be held at the Rumba Room, 303 S. Main, Memphis, TN on February 22, 2014, while the grand reopening of The National Civil Rights Museum will be taking place on Saturday, April 5, 2014 at 450 Mulberry St., Memphis, TN.

The grand reopening takes place one day following the yearly commemoration of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, who was assassinated on April 4th, 1968.