#WarOfWords -IN IT TO WIN by K-meks Otuya

This is not a valid video entry.
Why?
Well, He came all the way from Delta and got an automatic slot during the last WORD UP Volume 4.
There was a preview of War Of Words during WORD UP Volume 4,
and he stepped up to the mic and rocked it.
So with or without this submission,
he is already part of the poets to compete on War Of Words stage come this June 30th 2013.
Meaning?
There are just 14 slots left :).

IN IT TO WIN by K-meks Otuya

Each time I cast a gaze at the state of my fatherland
A confused countenance appears before me
It causes a sense of phobia that erupts from the mess, we stand upon
Finding its way through my knee caps and into my thighs
And gradually, settles like a digested food in my bowels
Generating an awful sensation that keeps me awake each night-Pondering and Thinking
Where did we miss the path shown to us by our fathers?
How did we get to Herod's Palace, seeking the death of Christ-Us?
From whence did we attract this destructive spell?
I asked! I thought!! I wept!!!
In my wallowing and sorrowing state
I recalled the story, as it was told in our History class
Great Compatriots who envisaged a great Nigeria
Lifting up their banners
Standing against the plague of colonialism
Dogged men who were armed to the teeth
For they were armed with Courage, Strength and Might
Fighting but for a just cause
Heroes who laid aside Greed and Selfish interests
Complementing one another
Engaging the colonial masters in constructive dialogue
Giving their all and best-They obliged
'Cos they were in it to win
Oh! Yes they won
They won in their quest for freedom
Gaining Independence from the hands of the Queen's men
Upholding the element of continuity
Teaching us the pledge
Oh! How they envisaged
A Nation where food will be available to all
A Nation whose wealth will be evenly distributed
A Nation of Peace and Tranquility
Where normalcy and decency would exude from all sectors of the economy
In these-they lived for..laboured..and died for
But right from the tombs where they lay-I hear their crys
Crying for a generation seeking direction
A Nation of people with no defined purpose for living
Burdened by these anomalies-I make this clarion call
Arise! Fellow Countrymen
The race to prominence isn't easy-No doubt
But we must Brace-Up ourselves
Holding on to the truth
Binding us together
That we are Africa's Giant
Transforming Nigeria from this pitiable state, 
to a state-of-the-Art Nation
I dare to say, If we believe truly in this
The world ain't seen nothing yet,
Cos we're in it to win.


Watch the video via this link

#WarOfWords-"IN IT TO WIN"....by K-meks Otuya

http://youtu.be/r5h6osUUTuc

#WarofWords - Who is like thee by Amodu Segun

Nice piece,
very nice.
Got me thinking,
there can only be One Supreme Being.
Before and after Him, there is no one else.
And you know what,
Spoken Word Poets are not supreme being,
but they are a special breed,
and come June 30th, 2013,
only one poet will standing be at the end of War Of Words.



Who is like thee by Amodu Segun 

i was in search for the Greatest, this a great test
i know i'll find then eventually rest
will put distractions behind even if i hunger or thirst.
will look at the world's geniuses that have done the unthinkable, 
those that have made life in 1 way or the other comfortable.
then, select who has the best stunts among them,
1 who no scientist or critic can condemn.
Time to talk of great works,
follow me as i think outside the box
Are you ready? I'm on the quest to find who is like thee.

Who is like thee?
is it the great builder that sees a flat land, then explores his Creativity?
from the land, he makes the house with the sand, and then the City.
could it be the intelligent author that converts 1 sentence to the best selling book?
trust me, you can't say any of these has an element of luck or you are smelling fluke.
1 of these guys has to be the greatest, but i stop to ask myself this.
i wish i could write boldly on a vest; "did they make their creativity? please.
i know it's not easy to write down, or keep a building steady
so i look left, up, right, down - still searching for who's like thee

who is like thee?
is it the inventor of the plane that got the idea by studying a Bird?
or the maker of the lie detector to help reduce Fraud?
could it be the physicist that performed the 1st experiment on Elasticity?
or the scientist that from nowhere discovered Electricity. 
see, these guys works are fabulous, and out of this Earth
but which 1 made for us, a machine to prevent Death?
i know its not easy to be extremely intelligent and Nerdy
here i am still busy asking; 'who is like thee?'

who is like thee?
is it the herbalist that empowers others with his charm?
or the magician that also walked on water despite weighing over a 100 kilogram?
could it be the head of cult with a name like "skulls", that is as vital as the Suture?
is it the spiritualist that throws some balls, looks at the palm and tells you about the future?
see, these guys superpowers are firm, let's be honest
but who will they spit on and reply with "father, forgive them", answer, be my guest.
i know it's not easy to be powerful, and not be a bit randy.
i can no longer keep this cool, for the last time i ask; "who's like thee?"

who is like thee?
"who is like thee?" has been the question.
which inventor can invent inventions that will invent inventions
if you need me define invention, then you need divine intervention.
who made the galaxy, and the whole universe?
who the poets that from a-z, write every verse?
who made every creature; the righteous, the sinner and the herbalist?
who made the pope and the priests that we respect their nature, i can go on till i make a full list.
see, he was the one that was beaten, and still prayed for his enemies
he is right there in heaven sitting
he in powerful, can use a little kitten to defeat large armies
he is mighty in battle
on a thousand hills, owns all the cattle.
he is the master of time that doesn't need a watch on his wrist
he never fails, changes or lies.
he is the one who even Einstein; the greatest scientist says doesn't play dice
as mighty as he is, he wants to be our daddy.
he is the only 1 that can give you peace, thank you God, cos there is None like thee!



Watch the video here:

#WarofWords - Who is like thee by Amodu Segun

http://youtu.be/caJv_XZfcnI

#WarOfWords - Deep Words for a Brother by Ifeanyi Bernard

There is so much I can say about this piece,
but there is so little I want to say.
Read on and you might understand why.


War Of Words - Deep Words for a Brother by Ifeanyi Bernard 

I lost a friend
And now I have a torn heart to mend.
Of course not by a shoemaker 
but by a true maker, 
God almighty and he is doing it

I need a miracle
Olorunfemi Banjoko
An Iroko, 
gone too soon like the vapour from monsoon
He was young, tender and kind hearted.
Brave, strong, intelligent
Smart, not belligerent
 He made himself an asset before he parted.


Femi, Femi,
When you became a medical doctor, you smiled with the thought that you would take care of your family--- Health wise
And when you joined the Nigerian Army, you also did smile with the thought that you would protect your family and nation at large--- Security wise
But where was the Nigerian army when you were delivered into the hands of death?
Perhaps, they were busy chasing the northern group who were formerly selling coco and ram but are now popularly known as Boko Haram.

Who knows the size of death?
It could be a giant or it could be a dwarf
It could be as large as a whale or it could be as slim as a figure like a stick of macaroni
A sound of warning!
Death is powerful!
Death is no respecter of health or wealth
The mere thought of it changes the mood
But hang on, the truth has to be told for good
The say the truth is bitter
So, I wouldn’t be surprised if you cry me a litre
Or better still, a river

You can’t bribe death with millions or billions or trillions of pounds and shillings
Or else, you would be chilling in the mortar where death would pound you at once
And reduce your weight to an ounce.
You can’t bribe death with food, if I could, I would prepare it a delicious indomie with fried eggs or fufu with ofe Egusi.
In order to be physically and mentally stable, we sit on tables to eat good food like fruits and vegetables such as carrots-carrots
But sometimes we fail to realize that when we die we all rot and only get enriched with maggots-maggots
If death were to be a handsome man like Olulu, 
the king not from Zulu, 
you can’t possibly seduce him with body hogs and mini-skirts

And if death were to be a beautiful woman like Atilola, you can’t possibly seduce her with 6 packs or 1 pack like mine.

This is my very first piece so I will sign off in peace but before I leave in peace, may the soul of Olorunfemi Banjoko and the soul of your most loved lost ones and the soul of the faithful departed rest in perfect peace. Amen

Watch the piece here

#WarOfWords - Deep Words for a Brother

http://youtu.be/EMB3UxBAwY8

Another babe in the house,
Seems the ladies are ready to give the guys a run for their money.
Passion, hmm, where do I start from?
Passion is like sweet rum.
Passion is like the sweet melody of a drum.
Passion breeds inspiration.
Passion breaks through limitation.
Passion creates history.
Passion is poetry.

War Of Words- Passion by Alexandra Zion

I was born innocent, 
And I sat peacefully as one, 
When SUDDENLY,like a rushing WIND, 
You came to me from afar off. 
You saw to it that I fell in love with you! 
You strengthened my muscles, 
And put on my armour, 
Encouraging me to wrestle with mine enemies. 

Oh Literature! 
You are my passion. 
Years have gone by, 
Years are still counting, 
Yet I grow deeper in thy bosom! 
Oh my paradise of happiness, 
Breakage to my walls of gloom, 
Source of joyful rivulets from my human lake. 

Ubuntu became history, 
When I expressed my passion for poetry. 
I was likened to a lunatic, 
By same friends who eased my panic. 

One night, 
As the moon danced in the sky, 
I reviewed my love, 
And questioned my life's decisions, 
But it became more wood to the fire in me. 
It made me stronger, 
Because you came like thunder, 
Provoking my sweet laughter. 
I brace up to see beyond the lines, 
And rise above their guns of whines, 
To make those waiting headlines. 

The Creator believes in my authenticity, 
Of what use is my abode in mediocrity? 
Life! 
A competition in itself, 
But here is a prevailing warrior. 
Like the sun I'm shining, 
For the top I'm reaching, 
Alive comes my moxie, 
For I'm in this war to win!!!


#Ubuntu(a word used in the poem) is South African for "humanity to others"

Watch the video via this link

War of Words-Passion by Alexandra Zion

http://youtu.be/BligQSD94i4

#WarOfWords - They were all lies by Titilayo Mabogunje

This babe dey flow o,
and no be small yarn she yarn.
Guess what,
she is just sixteen,
but flows way past her age.
Deep words from a young mind,
words that can give sight to the blind.
She is definitely one for the future.



War Of Words - They were all lies by Titilayo Mabogunje 

Let me tell you a story
Of a girl I once knew
About fifty or sixty years ago,
She was just born and literally brand new.

So men came to take advantage of her
They said "Lean on me,"
They said "Trust me, believe me,
" 'Cause you can be free with me."

Now, indirectly what happened was,
They found another way to say
"Hmm, this girl is beautiful,
"Why don't you give all your money to me?"

Naïve she was, she believed them.
She unfortunately lost control.
And one by one they left her.
And bit by bit she lost what made her renown.

Now if she only opened her eyes
She would realize
She was no bride,
That there was no prize,
'Cause they were all lies,
She had been taken for a ride
So tears filled her eyes
Every day and every night
Like a thorn in her side,
Everything that had been right,
She threw away to the night
But now, she tries to fight.

Now she is thinking "How can I right my wrong?
How can I fill up a cup that is already gone?
How can I think of a melody when there is no song?
Why did I stray from the path I started on?
She closed her eyes
If just for a while.
She thought back into the past
Of the people who were most vile.

It was her own family,
Her very own friends
The ones she held close
Are the ones that held her fate in their hands.

The ones who now mock her, tease her,
They used to treat her, pet her,
But now they are sick, tired and fed up of her.

They'll say nothing good can ever come out of her
Her own people will be the first to shame her.
But when they need oil to fuel their cars,
That's when you'll see them going to her.

However, my story isn't over.
When they eat and are full,
That's when they forget her.

They'll say "She's not my sister,
"I'm not related to her."
They'll say "Why are you asking me?
"It's not as if I know her."

What a wicked family
That throw rubbish all over her bruised body.
Look at the streets around you, they aren't clean.
That shows how wicked we can be.

So to answer the questions
Who is her family? Who are her friends?
You needn't search any further than
Who you see through your glass lens.

Because the culprits here are you and me.
It's the truth, or don't you see?
We are the ones bad mouthing Nigeria.
We are the ones who litter the area.

We are the ones who give her a bad name,
Ruin her fame, Put her to shame.
When someone asks us where we are from,
We don't even want to call her name.

You think you're helping your country
But you're really just setting her up.
When you say all these negative things about her,
How can it bring anything but bad luck?

Honesty stands and knocks at the door,
But bribery enters in.
When there is no noble man,
How won't corruption win?

When tribes keep on fighting;
Igbos against Yorubas against Hausas
We all claim to love one another
But if there were unity, why are we not together?

So if you really want a country
For your children and their children to see,
Let us come together to stop hypocrisy
Start love and charity,
Be proud of our nationality
And endeavor to practice transparency.

So next time you have a problem,
Don't say "Watin Jonathan de do?"
Let's stop looking up there
And start looking at me and at you.

We have been given this fertile land,
A land flowing with milk and honey
And it isn't for one man alone;
It's not for only you or only me
Lets not forget that whether you like it or not,
This is and always will be our country.


Watch the video here

#WarofWords - They were all lies by Titilayo Mabogunje

http://youtu.be/QFZJMV2rcXE

Video submission for War of Words (Slam Poetry Competition) extended by 3 days.

Due to

1. The young lady calling and crying on phone that she was unable to upload her video due to poor internet network.
2. The guy threatening to kidnap our laptops if we close shop before he puts in his entry.
3. The 2nd chance given to a disqualified entry.
4. The original poetry piece been expected from oga at the top.

We are extending the deadline for the video submission for War of Words (Slam Poetry Competition) by 3 days.

For details of video submission go to this link
http://wordup411.blogspot.com/2013/05/video-entries-for-war-of-words-is-now-on.html

Deadline date is now midnight June 17, 2013.

The competition proper comes up on Sunday, June 30, 2013 from 3pm.

The Venue will be communicated after the expiration of the video entry deadline.

The 15 poets to compete live on stage at War Of Words will be announced on or before June 22, 2013.

Stay tuned for more details.

#WarOfWords -No be say Dem say by D Ray

This is the first Pidgin English entry,
and it is all the way from Calabar.
The guy dey yarn,
and I gbadun the yarn.
He said he is in it to win,
and his "winning get muscle."
Well, we shall see about that.


#WarOfWords-No be say Dem say by D Ray

At the beginning lines of my Rhyme schemes lays memories of noble laureates like Wole Soyinka,who have fought likes of metaphors and irony's wriggling words so that common sense won't die,so I refuse not the soft but to use words which are hard and heard to punch-kick lines of my lines like kung-fu;even as I say.....

If to say my pen get option,
Eee for no gree write dis poem
Or my mouth get cap
Eee for no gree spit dis lines

If to say "I go" get eye to see,
Eee for office me so dat "I go"
Talk say "I go" compose dis poem later Wen I go house unto say "I go"I go"
No go go get end.

If to say we be paper and some people
Na pen....hmn dat one?
Dem for don write us off tay!
Or even ma self erase our career
With tipex forget eraser
Our shelves for de for under bed
For inside one village.

If to say I get two face
Or i be dibia [Tu-FaceIdibia]
With black face[Black-Face]
I for face[Faze]
African Queens with my
Jazz like don[Don-Jazzy].

If to say I no enter dis cage come
Fight word to word gidigbo
With pidgin,my ideas for still re-scale. But unto say idea dear so te him-ma
Follow say" I"Dear"
Me ma self come know say dem know
Say me know say dem know say
I enter am to win am na
In it to win it
As I don enter am to win am?......
My wining get muscle.

Watch the video here

#WarOfWords-No be say Dem say

http://youtu.be/Yb6jWPK65jU

#WarOfWords - In it to win by AimHigh

This entry is no longer valid.
The highlighted portions are from the lyrics of Eben Featuring M.I - Done it all.
We want to promote poets and spoken word poetry in Nigeria,
but not at the expense of originality.


@Micheal Stanley aka AimHigh
Get on contact with us asap via olulu4ever@gmail.com.
 Thank you.

#WarOfWords - In it to win by Micheal Stanley aka Aimhigh

Have you ever been in a point in your life, where you feel like quiting?
If you have, I guess for you this poem is written.
Sometimes I get confused of the troubles God is permitting
If wishes were horses,I guesss I would have ridden.
Cos am rising daily
My hustling is getting deeper.
The plans to get to my goals are getting bolder
Have been rejected, restricted and thrown aside
I reflect my prospectives is to go inside
When I was young i pray to God to teach me how to write
And when am writing, 
I hear angels speaking
I remember my first performance,
how hard I prepared
I remember even chairs did not cheer.
My second performance 
I thought it was a blast
The B was taken off and I took last
My friends said Aimhigh you are gonna fail
My Mama said cool boy, God is going to put them to shame
Even when I had no more lines, I could still write
He took me off my past and off the street
He knew my dream was poetry
He knew i want to make history.
He gave olulu the idea to take me there
And now am on wordup people
Am in it to win.



Check out the video here:

#WarOfWords-In it to win by Micheal Stanley aka Aimhigh

http://youtu.be/kn5vijvfbbY

http://youtu.be/kn5vijvfbbY

Hmm, short and straight to the point.
Not a poet of many words I guess.
Its really not about the length of words,
what matters, is the weight of the words.
After all, better little words with plenty sense
than plenty talk with plenty nonsense.

#WarOfWords- NEVER LOSE YOUR COMPOSURE by IKEJE INNOCENT

When does opportunity meet preparedness to be called luck?

At what point do agreement and disagreement align to be tag Dialogue?
What time of the year would dreams be unlock?
How can I fetch diamonds from this little rocks?
To get answer to all these enquiries on whose door should I knock?
Equal and unequivocal strength we must continue to mount
For we are not certain what fight will give us the bout.
Irrespective of the odds, don't vocally express doubt.
Until we confirm the veracity of the effort, that counts
Our aim must be to get to the fount.
Remember to be heard you need not shout.
For the task needs a heart that is stout
We will certainly be rewarded for a bit of effort we have forgotten a about.
Don't lose heart if things don't seem to be panning out.

Check out the video on this link

#WarOfWords-NEVER LOSE YOUR COMPOSURE by IKEJE INNOCENT

http://youtu.be/5mbdEJ3F90c

http://youtu.be/5mbdEJ3F90c

#WarOfWords - My vision, My mission by Felix D Great

Today was feeling a lil tired, 
wondering if our effort to grow Spoken Word Poetry in Nigeria is worth it.
But the poem below seems to be a message to keep keeping on.
After all, life is not a bed of roses.
So there will always be some form of restriction and limitation,
but surviving and thriving should always remain our only option.
For our limitation is not a function of our condition,
our limitation is a function of our decision.


#WarOfWords - My vision, My mission by Felix The Great

I have vision that supersedes human imagination
I am on a mission to transform my generation
To bring restoration back to my nation
So we live a life of jubilation

I am heading to a precious destination 
A land of restitution
A land of celebration
A land where against us there would be no condemnation

But I am faced by situations of heavy devastation
My way is filled with trails and tribulations
And my soul craves for internal redemption

My days are filled with tears 
My heart with worries and fear
This vision seem so unclear
The land I seek is nowhere near

These burden of pain I cannot bear 
These garment of shame I want to un-wear
Wish someone can my cry hear
And help me with this dream that is so rare

But looking around i see no one who cares
And giving up is all my mind shares
Then comes this loud voice inside my ear 
Words of liberation that is all I hear

It says: look not at what you see and do no listen to what your mind share
I have given you the spirit of boldness not fear
I am with you, you know that I care
Given up is not an option,cos I am in it to win.


 Watch the video here:

#WarOfWords - My vision, My mission by Felix D Great

http://youtu.be/6xikIv2jPDA

http://youtu.be/6xikIv2jPDA