Springfield Artist Brings Rap to Kids

One of these days, Adonis Dorsey may look out at a cheering audience and remember that it all started at the . On Tuesday, he and a few other students were introduced to the art of the spoken, beated word from Jesse Baskin, a 25-year-old rapper, singer-songwriter and poet from Springfield.

This was Adonis' first piece: 

"My name is Adonis Dorsey, 
My favorite character is Luigi,
Every time I go somewhere my brother just acts cheesy. 

My favorite food's p'zolo
Jay-Z is really ghetto, and,
When my dad gets home, he just eats a ho ho."

Baskin has one rule in the class: "No cursing. I believe that it shows a lack of intelligence," he said.  "You should be able to find the right word, especially here at the library."

Baskin, the leader of Grim and the Badman, recommended reading work aloud from the following poets:

• Robert Service
• Edgar Allan Poe
• Shel Silverstein
• Dr. Seuss 

"I believe that writing is a muscle, and the only way for you to get better is for you to do it [write]," he said.

You can catch Jesse Baskin at Lorton Library the remaining Tuesdays in August at 5 p.m.