Yeah, What Blaque Said

I came across this...yes I am an advocate! I better stand for something! If you are an advocate join us!

This is what Blaque said:


What’s good fam,
This is just a little note to the family members who are pursuing poetry and spoken word performing for career. The folks who want to get paid for their hard work and dedication to a beautiful and entertaining art form. Do not perform for free at a venue that has a cover charge! These venues that are charging a cover charge are making a living off your life. Most of us write from our life experiences and about things that are very personal to us. Though we don't mind, in fact we enjoy sharing our experiences through verbal forms of _expression, we do not deserve to be prostituted nor should we prostitute ourselves to help line the pockets of some other entity. Check this scenario: a poet is asked to feature at an event, the cover is ten dollars. The poet spends ten dollars on gas, forty dollars on something to wear for the event, thirty-five on food and drinks while at the venue, because the host of the venue did not provide the poet with as much as a glass of water, for a grand sum total of, wait a minute the poet also had to pay a babysitter for the night, fifty dollars, for a grand sum total of one hundred and thirty-five hard earned dollars from a day job that barely pays the bills. O.K REMEMBER the venue charged ten dollars to come see the poet(s).One hundred people paid to get in for a grand total of one thousand dollars. Now lets do a mathematical comparison between the poet and the venue. The poet spent $135.00 to not just partake of the entertainment, but to be the entertainment. The venue or should I say the host(s) of the venue COLLECTED at least $1000.00.unfair THEY SHOULD AT LEAST PAY YOUR EXPENSES. THIS IS NOT ABOUT MONEY IT’S ABOUT JUSTICE!!!! SOME OF THAT MONEY SHOULD GO TO THE POET WHO GETS NOTHING More THAN PERSONAL FULFILLMENT FROM THE PURE JOY OF PREFORMING, AND THAT’S GREAT, BUT ITS NOT FAIR OR JUST. I would love to have a round table meeting, sort of speak with all the poets and spoken word artist who are tired of getting screwed because they just love that mic. THIS IS ONLY TO DISCUSS WHAT WE AS PROFESSIONAL ARTIST CAN DO TO CHANGE THE WAY WE ARE BEING MISTREATED AND DISRESPECTED. IF YOU MUST BLESS A MIC SOMEWHERE, DO IT AT AVENUE THAT DOES NOT HAVE A COVER CHARGE. THERE ARE PLENTY GOOD VENUES IN THIS VALLEY THAT DO NOT HAVE A COVER CHARGE AND THEY ALL OFFER REFRESHMENTS TO THE AUDIENCE AND THE POET, FOR FREE. LETS SUPORRT THOSE VENUES, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT NEED US AS MUCH AS WE NEED THEM. Any and every professional poet/spoken word artist that would like to have this discussion, please contact me via email at lablaquemc@hotmail.com and if we have enough folks interested I will arrange a time and place for this very important discussion to take place. PEACE WIT X
LABLAQUE