For our first InnerView, it seems only right to InnerView our first Featured Artist, queenbeat!


Uiwe2001 Poetry Lounge: First, let's begin by finding out when you started writing and performing your work.

queenbeat: all that started when i was in my youth...i was an only child and i talked a lot so my adults were always telling me to be quiet so i'd write when i was hushed, or when i was angry or when i was forced to hold my tongue in order to respect my elders or stay out of trouble...it became a trusted release and it's been good to me...i didn't start performing poetry until high school when i joined the speech and debate team and even then i was performing the works of published poets like maya, kevin powell, jabari asim and bob holman...i didn't start doing my own stuff until college when i started some poetry readings on campus and soon thereafter became what some people today call 'queenbeat'...


UPL: Do you fulfill a specific purpose that you view you have as a writer and poet?

queenbeat: as a creative, i believe expressive purpose is necessary...if my pieces could do anything, i pray they enlighten people and make them more aware...i can't say yet if i've been able to fulfill that purpose since i've been putting my poetry out there...but that's what i honestly try to do and that's what i get disappointed about when i don't feel i'm making a difference.


UPL: How would you describe your poetry? And from where do you draw your inspirations?

queenbeat: i've described my poetry as a barrage of message and lyric backed and driven by passion with the strength of conviction....i'm most influenced by the Renaissance poets (mostly Langston Hughes) and i also came up on some of the beatnik poets (hence my name) and then i spent a good deal of time reading the nuyorican writers which rounded out my style.

UPL: We stress building a stronger community through poetry, do you think communities benefit from poetry readings? How do feel about the current poetry scene in Orlando?

queenbeat: i think communities can really benefit from regular poetry spots but i haven't seen one in orlando really fill some needs in a long time. the last one that i think came close was 'finesse n' da soul' way black in the day when they first started and were still grassroots...kind of like the readings slv would have at gossip's...they were trying to raise consciousness by the pound, bringing out issues people didn't know about... i never got the impression a lot of people were interested...it seems like a hard thing to sell funny enough...the current poetry scene in orlando seems to reflect that to me...it doesn't really seem to be about too much depth, so i really feel for the poets out there trying to keep it uplifting...


UPL: Do you have any merchandise available on the market right now and where can we get it?

queenbeat: i have a page on mp3.com....flash users can connect to it by going to www.queenbeat.org (think organize)...from there listeners can download qbeat tracks and also contact me and see pictures and lyrics and all kinds of info...also, "the portable queenbeat", my first spoken word album will be coming out at the end of the summer...anyone interested can contact me through my website or order it from mp3.com...


UPL: I have often viewed your website and presented you as a feature on the Uiwe2001 Home page can you tell me how has the internet contributed to your writing?

queenbeat: i don't think it's really contributed to my writing as much as it has helped broaden my audience and make me accessible to listeners all over the place..when we first started, we went crazy the day we found out someone out in cali was playing our mp3s on their station...it's nice to be available like that to people i may never see, much less have the opportunity to share words with.


UPL: What other artists like writers, poets, singers, and musicians have influenced your writing?

queenbeat: i already answered that one, but i'll give it another go....i really love the truthwords that bob marley brings...des'ree too...i can't go very long without listening to arrested development or lenny kravitz. my favorite lyricists i get to see just about everyday. they're my labelmates on DAH TOWER and they're certainly the realest representatives or art, intellect and music.

UPL: Final question, do you think hop-hop music and spoken word poetry have an influence on each other regarding style and content?


queenbeat: i can't really say the same about poetry and hiphop but i see hiphop influencing poetry all the time...perhaps cuz they're both expressive forms used by the overlooked masses (like reggae)...if you notice, the discontent working people turnt to that music and literature to be their voice in rough times...being the only poet on my label, i often find myself writing verses that sound more like rhymes than lines...sometimes i have to call myself the poetic rappa cuz there come times when the two crafts merge and become this beautiful lyrical creation...it doesn't help that eMCees produce all my tracks either, you can't help but nod your head when you hear a qbeat track!

Special Shout out to queenbeat for being so supportive of the Uiwe2001 Poetry Lounge. Make sure you check out her webpage and download that album. Allow it to broaden you poetic horizons. Just click on the pics!