Transcript

My name is Jonzi D, and I’m a hip hop theatre artist. I’m an MC and I work with b-boys, graffiti artists, writers and DJs to make hip hop theatre. But I am the MC.

MCing – to MC meaning 'Move a Crowd', to MC meaning 'Master of Ceremonies', to MC, some even say 'Making Cream'. For me, MCing is about rapping. RAP is an acronym - RAP meaning 'Rhythm and Poetry'.

Hip hop started in the ghettos of New York in the 1970s, where young people would make a lot with the little that they got. They’d use the walls as arenas of expression through graffiti art, they’d use the DJ who'd make music with his turntables, b-boys would use the street to dance, and the MC would master the whole ceremony.

I started rhyming in 1983, after being influenced by early MCs like Curtis Blow and Afrika Bambata. After that, I started writing, developing my skills, getting the best I could be, and then I went out to open mic events, and it was through there that certain producers and other MCs spotted me and wanted to work with me.

If you get into this hip hop stuff, and you work hard, you’ll develop skills, you’ll develop a discipline and you’ll get respect.

MCing Demos

If you want to learn to be an MC, let me give you a few techniques.

First of all syllabic rhyming. Here’s a one syllable rhyme:
I saw this cat, who tried to come chat, I took a step back, ‘cos he sounded wack.

And here’s a two syllable rhyme:
Style Maker, Style Shaper, Style Breaker, more data than Sega, From Alpha to the Beta.

Let’s go straight on to four syllable rhyme:
Worms crept inside us, with germs like leptomitus, and dumb he gets the virus and forgets who’s the tightest.

You also need to develop your flow. Check this out:
Ai Ai, Come Come, rough like a dun dun, big done ga gone, I come from London, John John, Zi zi, de de, he he, ha ha, let off a laugh like a hyaena-na-na, why for, ‘cos I just smacked ya, foo foo gangsta, chat enough, do do, ka ka, who you, slap ya like Shaka Zulu, I make ya go boo hoo.

You also need good stage presence – how do you use your body on stage, how do you look at the audience, it’s all really important.

Check this out:
My style of job is dialogue – I deliver selected dialectics live or via Technics CD, Casette, TV, CD-Rom – could go on and on. My communication is so strong. Tune into Jonzi D – see me beneath your eyelids, I slid, I kid you not.

Battling is a big part of being a good MC. You need to be real quick on the draw and you need to have clever punchlines:
Forget the pounds and pence, let's commence to the battle. Like cattle round my fence, you’ll get branded. This black’ll deck ya, then you’re sanded.

MCing Tips

Perfect your skills.

Be original.

Get out there – make sure you’re seen. Good Luck.