New York poet Oveous Maximus performed at club Love Saturday October 18th, as fans gathered to witness him make the transition from spoken word artist to emcee. Most recognizable for his appearances on Def Poetry and throughout spoken word circles, he’s resolved to try his hand at a slightly different kind of flow. The new album, Oveous Live 2.0, hit soundwaves in March and features acapella material in addition to live hip-hop tracks. If Saturday was any indication of what’s to come, the future looks bright for this lyrical Jack-of-all-trades.

In an effort to limber the packed crowd, Oveous opened with the familiar “Dulce de Leche” and effectively left the audience anticipating his next move. Following a brief overture from his accompanying band- which featured traditional instruments as well as a selection of Pan African drums- he segued into his pumped up rendition of Jay-Z’s “Public Service Announcement” (re-titled “My name is Ove”) and “Swagger Like Us”. The crowd definitely felt him, and appreciated what he was trying to do, but certain rhymes lacked the sense of sincerity and originality spoken word artists are expected to observe and devotees of the lyricist have grown accustomed to.

While hip-hop and poetry will always remain bedfellows, there is something about the candid ebb and flow of spoken word that can only be summoned in silence (and in lieu of musical accompaniment). With only his self-imposed legacy to live up to, Oveous is certainly a talented emcee, but he shines as a spoken word artist. So long as he doesn’t abandon his roots, fans of the aficionado will no doubt congratulate him on his most recent role and welcome the change.