One year after D’Angelo’s death, Manchester Literature Festival gathers poets, writers and fans for a RAP Party celebrating ‘Brown Sugar’, the 1995 debut that launched his career and sparked the neo-soul movement.
From the moment we step into the Contact building to the moment we step back out into rainy Manchester, a sense of community fills the space. While waiting to be called into Space 1, people laugh, mingle and enjoy a drink.
Inside, a DJ welcomes guests into the theatre, where dimmed lights create a calm but captivating atmosphere. R&B grooves have people dancing their way to their seats, whether alone, in groups or alongside people they’ve only just met.
Host Inua Ellams engages the audience with his vibrant energy as he brings the party together. He explains how the night will work, introducing the interactive GAR (Ground stomp, Applause, Rupture) method of responding to performers, and keeping the audience involved, making the stage a safe space for the artists and drawing everyone into a celebration of old and new art.
A RAP party follows a structure where each artist is assigned a ‘Brown Sugar’ song to inspire them for their piece. Each artist has to write a poem and choose another song to complement their work. This creates a great way to celebrate the album and D’Angelo’s achievements as an artist.
Hearing poems from artists based in Manchester and neighbouring cities allows a close network which was demonstrated through hugs and excitement people show when greeting each other.
Keisha Thompson took her job as quite literally and decided to use her designated song ‘Cruising’ as inspiration for her poem ‘Cruising’ to talk about the concept of hopping on a cruise. Without being too literate, she discovers how to use her talent to look at cruises as a way of moving into a different period of calm when meeting someone. Her work shows how artists can use a person’s work as inspiration and create something new and meaningful of their own.
Walking onto the stage, each artist carries the strength that D’Angelo brought to this community and allowed for this space to emerge. Segun Le French uses his designated song, ‘Me And Those Dreamin’ Eyes Of Mine’, to express his timeline in love and meeting new people. Sharing his story of how he met his son’s mother and what advice he gives to him now, he shares the deeper meaning behind regrets and past.
Hearing these voices and fresh new poems makes for an inspiring, inclusive evening, with stories and styles of every kind. Many artists share what the album has meant in their own lives, showing just how far D’Angelo’s work has carried the neo-soul movement.
I leave feeling RAP parties are a great way to be introduced to a new community or find inspiration for your work surrounded by other people’s art and pure passion.