Published June/July 2003 

A Tale From The North Coast

Quiet, focused, passionate, and determined are some of the words that can be attributed to Ottawa Spoken Word Artist, Anthony Bansfield a.k.a. The Nth Digri. At thirty-five, Bansfield steps to the stage confidently with fifteen years of experience under his belt. Though not his first release, Bansfield cites the 2003 release of 'Tales From The North Coast' as his first official spoken word album.

Bansfield first hit the stage as an mc in 1988, and performed in Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto. The reult of this effort was his cassette, Return of the Rappoet (released in 1994), which showed his ability to find balance between the rap genre and the spoken word. A lot has changed since then, and Tales From The North Coast represents Anthony's maturity as a man, writer, and entertainer. For this album, Bansfield did a lot of searching into his own past, and into the history of Black people, using that as inspiration for many of the pieces.

Those who have never heard of, or had the chance to witness Anthony on stage, with his smooth voice pouring passionate words into the mic, have missed out on something special. As a spoken word artist, Bansfield always leaves the stage wet with perspiration from the intensity that he brings to his work and performance. The material on his new disc reflects an open dialogue on what it was like growing up Black in Canada. Black Hockey Player is one of those pieces that will likely live for some time, as it chronicles the history of Black people in the sport, but also the love that many black boys in Canada have for the game, and the way that that love was manifested before one could look up to Jerome Iginla or Anson Carter.

Bansfield believes that his fate and success is tied to those around him, and with that philosophy dear to his heart, he has spent as much time working on his own career as he has trying to make a place for Canadian spoken word. In 1997, Bansfield felt that it would be to the benefit of all of the spoken word artists if we were to come together and produce a compilation album. The end result was 1998's "Wordlife," which featured poets and rappers from Ottawa, Montreal, and Toronto, including Motion, Jemeni, Da Original One, and the Butta Babees. Wordlife was a huge success, and marked the first time that young Black writers were showcased in this way. As a cultural activist, this was the beginning of the legacy that Bansfield will leave when he retires his pen.

Tales From The North Coast will definitely add to that legacy. With this album, the production of each piece perfectly fits the mood of the poem. Bansfield also found a way to create an enjoyable and entertaining album that one can listen to from beginning to end repeatedly, which is sometimes hard to find with spoken word releases.

The release of Wordlife was a spark for Ottawa's spoken word genre. After the launch of the album there were a number of spoken word shows that began to pop up throughout the city. Prior to this, Poets For The Revolution was the only series, which was soon joined by Scribes of the Millenium, and the Poetic Soul Spot. Bansfield has most recently started his own monthly series called the Golden Star Lounge and is excited about the young talent he sees coming to the stage, and the fact that mainstream society is slowly beginning to recognize the power of the spoken word, and are now inviting spoken word artists into their events and venues.

While spoken word in Canada is slowly developing, the mecca still remains south of the border. Bansfield can clearly see a difference in styles between Canadian artists and their American counterparts, with the Canadians offering a slower delivery, more rooted in the dialogue, as opposed to the faster American style, which has been influenced by the culture of slam competitions. Bansfield believes that the distinct Canadian flavour is heavily influenced by our Caribbean and African roots.

Bansfield acknowledges that things are changing and becoming a bit easier for Black artists, but he also calls some of the arts bodies to task. In his vision of an equitable and multicultural Canada, there would be an Urban (read Black) Culture Section at the Canada Council for the Arts. He notes that Canadian hip hop artists are ineligible for funding from the Canada Council, thus increasing the exodus of many great artists south of the border. He looks at the hip hop culture and asks where the breakdancers and graffitti artists fit into Canadian Heritage. As a tax payer, he wants to see some of his tax dollars going to support artists just like him, to ensure that with each passing generation, the experience becomes easier than it was the generation before.

Bansfield is dedicated to building for the future, on a large scale, through trying to build bridges and opportunities for Canadian spoken word artists, and on the small scale, with his wife and children. A devoted husband, father, writer, and activist, Bansfield draws inspiration from all aspects of his life, leaving us with his tales from the North Coast.

<Back to top>

Tell us what you think. word@wordmag.com