Maya White, a Pittsburgh native and a spoken word artist, won the grand prize of more than $1,000 at Queen Sheba’s Poetry vs. Hip-Hop event at City Winery in the Strip District.
The show, part of a national tour at City Winery venues, made a stop in Pittsburgh on Friday night for a performance celebrating spoken word and local artists.
“We are so excited to be in Pittsburgh for the first time. We are so glad that it is sold out. Our home base venue is Atlanta City Winery, and we can’t wait to come back. There’s so much talent here,” Queen Sheba said.
This is Poetry vs. Hip-Hop’s ninth year. The evening’s main event was a battle featuring six artists.
On the hip-hop side were rappers Brothamans, Bird and Dewey Markie, led by co-host Jamel Moore. On the poetry side were poets Michael Smalls, Maya White and Slangston Hughes, led by host and Grammy-nominated spoken word artist Queen Sheba.
Before the battle began, DJ Crowns mixed tunes such as Mary J. Blige’s “Reminisce,” “New Jack City” by Guy, and “Candy” by Cameo. Pittsburgh comedian Matt Light opened the show, followed by a set from Rhythm of the Night Fusion Band featuring Anni Mai, the Neo Soul Songstress, Myron Benjamin Blakey-Fisher and Rick Nowlin.
White captivated the audience with her poem about tattoos and ink as expressions of traumas experienced by Black people.
“I am always amazed by how much people can connect with me. It is always a surprise, and not because I believe I can’t write, it’s that I am not sure that people will feel me, so it is a very surreal feeling,” White said.
The battle included three regular rounds and one bonus round, where teams could bet all their winnings on a frontrunner. The poetry team, which had won the battle, did not bet all their money on White. However, when White faced Bird in the bonus round, she received the bonus round money.
The bonus round money, totaling $1,500, came from audience donations via Cash App to Queen Sheba.
The competition was intense, with audience cheers determining the winners of each round. During the second round, it was difficult to decide the winner, so White and Brothamans had a rematch, which the poetry team won. The performances were filled with the same urgency and passion as a traditional cypher — a gathering of artists who improvise their craft, like rap or dancing, surrounded by an encouraging audience.
“This was my first time performing here at City Winery. It was really nice. It was an intimate space,” Markie said. “As far as the battle, I didn’t think it was 3-0. That is what the audience voted, but everyone here is super talented, and the best team won.”
Follow the Poetry vs. Hip-Hop tour here.
