"Circle Circle Dot Dot"

By: Bobby Marvin

Posted: 10/8/04

For poets and poetry lovers, a dosage of life has now arrived in "Circle Circle Dot Dot," the new album by The Dri Fish and Native Son, both members of the spoken word collective 5th L. With rock riffs and hip-hop beats, this album meticulously deconstructs society and then turns it inside out for reconstruction.
The ever-growing need for parental guidance in Black communities is the focus of poems such as "2 o'clock in the Morning." Throughout this track, Dri Fish laments about the consequences that accompany a lack of parenting, and the devastating gap left in families by that neglect. Spitting a piercing truth, Fish closes the piece with this solution: "Raise your kids like farmers raise crops/Like the sun rises in the east/ All I'm saying is keep them babies out the streets/Because I'm tired of seeing these children playing outside at 2 o'clock in the morning."
The declaration of an artistic up rise is the subject of the poem "Beef," which confronts artists who aspire to destroy rather than rebuild. Fish and Native both exchange clever and satirical lines that shatter fabricated images and reveal reality.
And on the last track, "The Poet," which is any struggling artist's story, Native declares that, although his gift of poetry is sometimes a curse, he remains persistent in presenting his words to the masses. "Circle Circle Dot Dot" is a spoken word album that pleads for redemption and accountability. Some of the themes may come across as a bit preachy, but the album's message is still relevant and definitely needed for the betterment of Black people.
"Circle Circle Dot Dot" can be found on the 5th L Collective's website, www.5thl.com.