Standing in front of a classroom filled with teenagers, my heart begins to pound. My guidance counselor knows that public speaking isn’t my strong suit. Why did he put me in this class?! As I struggle to remember what I practiced last night, my vision goes blurry and I fall to the ground. Being pushed out of the classroom in a wheelchair is definitely on my list of most embarrassing moments.
As I listen to muMz recite his poems, I am shocked at his level of comfort in front of a crowd, his ability to memorize thousands of words, and his performance of his poems. I guess it doesn’t say much since this is coming from someone who faints when public speaking, but I was truly amazed at how comfortable muMz was on stage. He immediately connected with the audience, making eye contact with each viewer and allowing the audience to participate in parts of his act. I honestly have no idea how muMz memorized all of those words. I can’t even memorize the formula for hydronium for my chemistry class. muMz also emphasized his poems perfectly and allowed the audience to understand his emotions. The spit flying from his mouth and the sweat dripping from his forehead gave his performance a better sense of authenticity. Another aspect of muMz’s performance that I liked was the structure of his poems. He smoothly transitioned from one piece to another without the interruption of the audience clapping.
There were several moments in muMz performance that I found dull. Although many people loved the simplicity of the performance, I wasn’t a big fan of it. The plain brick background and the lights didn’t cut it for me. When my eyes began to droop and muMz words started to sound like mumbles, I yearned for something to keep me going, to keep my head from falling to my chest, but I didn’t receive that. As someone who doesn’t really know much about hip-hop, it was hard to keep up with the hip-hop references and to understand the meaning behind some of MuMz’s lines.
As a teenage girl starting off her college career, muMz’s words about overcoming fear really appealed to me. There are many challenges being thrown my way right now and even though some may scare me, I must continue to try my hardest. muMz spoke about his college experience and about finding his true self, which is something that I’m really struggling with right now. I came into college knowing what I wanted to major in but soon realized that I have no idea who I am and what I want to do for the rest of my life. muMz allowed me to accept that I’m unsure of my future and validated my feelings of doubt. Yes, I question myself on a daily basis and yes, I am afraid of growing up and dealing with the future, but “fear is a warning and I’m scared.”
This performance would appeal to a wide range of communities. Even if someone doesn’t know much about hip-hop, the majority of the content is about muMz’s personal experiences that anyone could relate to. I really enjoyed the show and would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for both a laugh or a cry.
