The Mayhem Poets

Scott Raven, Mason Granger, and Mikumari Caiyhe—collectively known as The Mayhem Poets—are on a mission to make poetry appealing to the masses. Described as “The Simpsons meets Malcolm X at a Notorious B.I.G. concert,” these lyrical virtuosos, who met at New Jersey’s Rutgers University, merge elements of hip-hop, theatre, improvisation, and stand-up comedy to express insights about the issues of our times. In 2006, the poets won first place and a grant in the Microsoft Idea Wins Challenge. Since then, the group’s approach to the spoken word has landed it on NBC’s Today and on tours of the United States and beyond. The trio’s name is derived from the 1999 film Fight Club, but the poets are language lovers, not fighters. “Their only weapon is words, specifically the snappy, streetwise art known as slam poetry,” writes a New York Times reviewer. “And they deploy it brilliantly … .”

The performance contains adult language.