The lights go down and the performer stands alone, center stage, with one spotlight. His shirt reads in bold letters, ‘The Truth’. Taking a breath he begins to speak. But it’s not just casual speaking, he’s rapping, reciting poetry. The lights change behind him as the mood does. Whenever the story takes a turn, the lights dim down, to one solo light, his voice going with it. It pulls you in, begs you to listen. This isn’t just a story, it’s the journey of one man’s walk through life.
A Sucker Emcee is written and performed by Craig ‘muMs’ Grant, with music by DJ Rich Medina. It infuses poetry and rapping by Grant as he narrates his life from growing up in the Bronx, to being apart of the HBO series Oz. I felt the performance was great on many levels, it was never boring, you were kept interested every second. The social messages that Grant conveyed through his poetry were very meaningful. Also, the music in my opinion just made it so much better than it would have been with just him rapping.
Grant’s story wasn’t overly emotional or happy; in fact it was a roller coaster of emotions. I liked this because it was a more realistic take on life then I think people are used to. In media and books characters either go through problems only to come up to a happy ending or suffer to the end. It was refreshing to hear his ups and downs and what he learned from them. He also spoke about growing up in the Bronx, the birth of hip-hop, drug dealing, and rampant gang violence. For me it was interesting to hear about his childhood, and the way the environment around him shaped who he was. More specifically the big influence music had on him. As someone who finds music crucial to their daily life, I understood what he meant when he said whenever he felt lost he would just listen to music and be ok. Another thing I loved was having Rich on the stage providing music throughout the show. It was a great way to lighten the mood after a dark moment or just provide backdrop. By using this it felt like watching a TV show, the transitions and emotions were told through the rap and the music.
Grant constantly repeated this one line throughout the performance about fear and not letting it stop him. I found this worth listening to because as a college student, I find myself restricted by certain fears I have about my future. What he tries to say though is that we shouldn’t let that stop us, and that the only way to conquer our fears is to face them head on. I feel that was the point of his story. He didn’t have some set point in his mind that he was going to have this one career for the rest of his life, live in a house, in a nice town or anything. He simply just lived his life from one point to the next. Sure at times it was hard, but that’s just the truth about life.
Overall A Sucker Emcee is a performance to go see because it is a truly realistic tale of a journey through life. I believe the show appeals to everyone because we can either relate to or understand what Grant has gone through, the choices he made to get to where he is. The show is entertaining, inspiring, and at times uplifting. It leaves you with the feeling of letting go of your fears, facing them, and moving on.
