♪ I'm on a mission ♪ ♪ I too have a dream ♪ I think anything that I would want anyone to know about spoken word is to just not be afraid.

(gentle music) I am Saran Thompson, also known as S-Wrap, hip hop, spoken word, professional speaker.

(paper rustles) "What initially drew me to the art of spoken word and poetry?"

That's a good question.

I'd say, multifaceted, coming from the background of first battle rapping, and then rapping, but then realizing that how I was taught about rap was very different from like, oh, that's just full with like bravado, and all these hyperboles, and you just lying about everything.

So, I kind of took a step away and started writing raps, but I call them poems.

And then, when I started performing and realizing that it still had that same, like, energy that activated people, I got introduced to spoken word, which is performance poetry.

And I was like, "Oh, I'm actually kind of already doing this."

So, it was a way to kind of like continue to finesse while still bringing that same art just in a different medium.

♪ We conquered a recipe of silence and violence ♪ ♪ And still made it ♪ My personal emotions and experiences tie in to my pieces in a way that I believe makes it authentic.

There's something about when the words come from you, the gestures now are a little bit stronger, they're a little bit more bold, they're a lot bigger.

I fill up the space, I grab your attention, and then you're locked in.

And so, for me it's like being able to convey my heart behind it, not just through the words, but also with the nonverbal communication as well.

♪ Crowns that still glisten ♪ ♪ X the helo, the mission ♪ ♪ See and then speak it, over and over ♪ We are working on a song titled "War Going On."

It is just like a super, like, somber, chill, jazzy track.

It just made me feel nostalgic about all the things connected to, like, being black and black culture that I always would get put down for, the things that we used to shun and shy away from is like that's what helps create who we are and build that sense of, like, community and belonging.

I'd say if anything, when it comes to the words and the message that's being conveyed, spoken word is probably the strongest creative genre there is.

♪ Till our dreams come to fruition ♪ - [Narrator] This "NPT Arts Break" is made possible by the generous support of the Martha Rivers Ingram Advised Fund of the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.