Tony Vellela of the Christian Science Monitor reports on Hip-hop takes center stage on Broadway:
On a street map, it's a short 10 blocks from hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons's office on Seventh Avenue to Broadway's Longacre Theater. On a cultural map, it can seem like a million miles.
His latest vision, "Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on Broadway," has made that journey, landing like a meteor in the middle of a theater scene more known for "Cats" and cartoons than cutting edge. While Broadway has seen other nontraditional offerings in recent years, from "Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk" and "Rent" to the dance-only "Contact," "Def Poetry Jam" breaks new ground.
Sounds good to me.