Last's Stand
by Vonetta Booker-Brown

Spoken word group Second 2 Last discusses their new CD, Say Word, and why cats can’t feel them wit’ da hands. 

And boom, there it is.

That’s how Brooklyn spoken-word group Second 2 Last does their thing—straight, no chaser. If you’re looking for crazy, undecipherable metaphors, keep it moving—on their new CD Say Word, members Bade (pronounced bah-DAY) Francis, Aisha, Johny Lashley and Brian “B.” Polite simply give lyrical nourishment to those who’ve been starving for it. And heads leave satisfied.  

“Potpourri,” says Brian when asked to describe Second 2 Last’s style. “It’s a little bit of everything, it’s a gumbo. It’s a culmination of everything; music, literature, black arts—each of us dealing with just about every art form there is—and poetry’s the foundation.” 

But for real, though—who is Second 2 Last?
The group’s members met as students at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute in the fall of 1993. First performing under the name Two Rhymed Lines, they did their thing at various open mics and cafeteria ciphers. “We were like Wu-Tang then,” jokes Bade of the group's then nine-members that would often perform individually as more of a collective than a solid group. They were inspired to solidify into one tight unit after they attended a Pratt group speech class taught by none other than Ruby Dee, gaining new insight from the legendary actress about the art of getting words off the page and breathing life into them.

How they got the name "Second 2 Last":
“We were talking about last night’s open mic [one day in the school cafeteria’s “colored corner”],” recalls Johny. “People were saying, ‘Y’all are like the Last Poets,’ being that we were known. Someone else said, ‘Naw, y’all are ‘Second to Last Poets!’” As they say, the name stuck. But after a couple of years, they decided to drop the “Poets” part. “We felt that it was good to be associated with [The Last Poets], but we are not them. So it was time to take that away and become our own single unit,” says Bade. 

Tha CD:
Listening to the 17-track Say Word is like sampling the illest lyrical gumbo--Second 2 Last flips a cornucopia of topics with intricate, Bobby McFerrin/ Razhel-influenced beats and spoken word, and layers it with producer Spike Rebel's lush jazz, house and hip-hop tracks. 

In addition to Brian’s mic bravado of “Can’t Feel Us Wit’ Da Hands (You couldn’t hang with me / If you were number 23 / Back in 1923 / Strange fruit in the southern trees), the selections include “Sweet in Da Mornin,’” Bade’s declaration of love flowing over a mellow, twilight-lovely track that puts one in the mind of new love/infatuation’s can’t-see-straight giddiness. And Aisha gives serious estrogen in “My Black Woman Poem”—a spicy, biting piece that calls out black women’s stereotypes through the years.  

“It’s a commentary on being a black woman and just what you deal with,” she says. “And for every black woman, from the professional buppie to the dreadlocked poet, to the ghetto girl, you know what I’m saying? Every one of those—us, is a part of society. Every one of us deals with being a black woman in our own right.”

Mo' Creativity, Mo' Problems:
Although Second 2 Last is now basking in the glow of a hot new CD, getting to that point was oftentimes rough—between being low on funds and important members leaving the group at crucial times. But they kept pushing, simply because they felt the need to. “The poetry CDs we were hearing at the time were very stagnant,” says Bade. “We wanted to show [the public] that this is a viable art form and this is different; you can enjoy it just like you enjoy your hip hop or jazz artists.” 

But blessings come to the dedicated. Second 2 Last hooked up with producer Spike Rebel, together producing their CD on a shoestring budget. “They’re four individuals who were kicking mad knowledge through their poems,” says Rebel. “They were very easy to work with.” It was quite simple, actually: The group would come in, lay down their words a capella, and then Rebel would come in and do his part, feeling out what type of track would enhance each piece the best. For him, it was as simple as recognizing the emotions that their words evoked in him. “When they left, in the morning I might get up and be like, ‘Okay, let me cut this on and see what it makes me feel.’” 

Future Plans:
Now that the CDs out and all, what next? “World tour, book, Pulitzer prize, spoken-word Grammy, and more CDs,” says Brian, rattling off the list in his subtly humorous way. As for the CD’s distribution, B. Polite quotes a favorite line from poet Jessica care Moore: “…appear courtesy of your damn self.” And that’s exactly how they prefer to do it—their damn self. A record deal would be cool, but not for the price of their souls or anything. Creative control’s what it’s about, and if Second to Last has to distribute themselves, then so be it.  Brian's disdain for record industry pimps and hoes is hardly disguised. “That stuff’s like, ‘Here you go, Toby—put these chains on. There’s a field out back—start picking.’ That’s not what I’m trying to do; I know nobody else is trying to do that. We’ve been doing this too long, with too much heart and soul in it.” Do it, y’all.  

Check out the group online at www.second2last.com.