Doing something for eleven years doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be any good at it. It definitely doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be famous for it. For George Watsky, however, it meant both.Watsky showed Creighton students why he was so well known in the world of spoken word tuesday night in the Skutt Fireplace room. The 26-year-old rapper and poet performed seven of his renowned slam poems for an enthralled audience at 9 p.m.
Watsky spoke to a packed house with students filling the stairs and watching from the balconies on the second and third levels.
“I had a blast with this audience,” Watsky said. “They were respectful and engaged and just a lot of fun.”
This definitely isn’t his first rodeo. Watsky has performed in concert halls, on television screens, at national competitions and in more than 30 states. He has shared the stage with the likes of Will Smith, Ellen DeGeneres, Sean Penn and Beyoncé.
Tuesday night he shared the stage with a local artist: Creighton’s very own, Brynn Martin. Martin is an Arts & Sciences junior who has been performing spoken word for about four years now. After taking a creative writing class her senior year of high school, she realized that poetry was something that she enjoyed and was good at. She has pursued it as a hobby since then.
While Martin isn’t sure yet if she’ll be taking her poetry to the level Watsky has taken his, she is sure it is something she will continue to do on some level.
“Spoken word is something that just sort of fell into my lap,” Martin said. “I didn’t know I was good at it until I started doing it.”
While it wasn’t originally in her life plans, she has considered going to graduate school for creative writing as a way to capitalize on her talent. The future is still up in the air for this upand- coming performer.
Anybody who saw her perform this week knows, Martin could definitely make it as a poet. After opening for Watsky, she stayed to enjoy the rest of the show with the audience.
Watsky took the stage and had the audience completely engrossed for the remainder of the event. Covering topics from Jewish storytelling patterns to love and first times, he was relatable and moving. His performance left the audience with aching sides and a renewed sense of purpose. His poem “My Church,” which was equal parts thought-provoking and hilarious, was an audience favorite.
Watsky uses his art to tell stories, teach lessons and inspire hope. He dedicated his final poem to “anyone who has ever been made fun of for the way they talk,” ending the night on a more serious note, but still with a smile. He may be able to pass as 18 and not be much older, but it is clear in his words, he is wise beyond his years.
Keep an eye out for Watsky who will be showcasing his rapping talents at the Waiting Room in April, for Martin our very Creighton’s rising star and for more great events to be put on by the Creighton Students Union Program Board.