Spoke in Wordz, a master of wordplay, has returned with a new compilation and collaborative album, Power of Wordz. Essentially, the record is a gathering of his favorite MCs and a showcase of their individual talents — a collection of dope verses from veterans and more than one new kid on the block, coupled with Spoke's own brash and raspy delivery. Power of Wordz is a chance for MCs who have wanted to work together to meld their talents. The album features Spoke mixing it up with some of the best lyricists in Colorado hip-hop. We chatted with Spoke recently to find out more about the project.
Westword: How did Power of Wordz come together?
Spoke in Wordz: It essentially started with me being an overall Colorado hip-hop fan before being an artist. I've been fascinated by the drive that everybody has here, especially because hip-hop is going through all these transitions. I've been fascinated by the idea of putting together an album with people I've been motivated and inspired by — people like FOE and Haven the Great, everybody from Jewell Tyme, Fresh Breath Committee, Hypnautic. Everybody has their own part that they play.
My idea was sort of like what a DJ does. As an artist, I'm in a position where I'm not only putting these artists together, but I'm able to exchange words and put lyrics together with them. To use the power of words to bridge the gap and reach out to the community is the goal.
Originally, a while back, when I was kind of sedated, I had a long conversation with DJ Chonz, and he mentioned that I should work with Colorado artists more, and that kind of stemmed the idea. I was gonna call it "Get the power," but I have to give a shout-out to my boy Miz Logic because he gave me the idea for Power of Wordz and went with the whole wordplay for when I release the LP.
Who are the artists that are new to your project?
That's a good question. Haven the Great is definitely a new artist that I'm working with. Hypnautic and King Tef are some artists that will probably be a surprise to some of my listeners. It might not be your cup of tea, but that's the challenge I'm taking upon myself: to not be so judgmental and to learn from these artists, particularly Hypnautic and King Tef. I'm learning a lot, as far as business goes.
