” On Tuesday, April 7, spoken-word duo Death From Below performed at the Student Union Starbucks. This event was sponsored by the Residence Hall Programming Board, Zips Programming Network, Residence Hall Council and Starbucks. Dan Sullivan and Tim Stafford met in their hometown of Chicago and began performing together in 2004.”
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On Tuesday, April 7, spoken-word duo Death From Below performed at the Student Union Starbucks. This event was sponsored by the Residence Hall Programming Board, Zips Programming Network, Residence Hall Council and Starbucks.

Dan Sullivan and Tim Stafford met in their hometown of Chicago and began performing together in 2004. Since then, Death From Below has performed with acts such as Kanye West, Mos Def, Smokey Robinson, KRS-One, Ani Difranco and Run DMC. This duo has also appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, beating out recording artists Alicia Keys and John Legend as the show’s Favorite Poets.

Both performers are active in the Chicago Slam Poetry scene. Sullivan hosts the Urban Sandbox open mic and Chicago’s legendary Mental Graffiti Poetry Slam. Stafford is a Chicago Grand Slam Champion and is the slam master of the Mental Graffiti Poetry Slam.

For this performance, Alvin Lau filled in for Tim Stafford, due to an unmentioned scheduling conflict.

Spoken word is a form of performance art in which lyrics are spoken rather than sung. Death From Below combines comedy, hip hop and poetry to bring together a unique manifestation of this art form. The Chicago Public School System, beat boxing and truck stops are topics that were explored during this performance.

The duo performed poems together and individually. Each member’s personal influences were highlighted in their solo performances. Sullivan recited a love poem influenced by pierogies, one of his favorite foods, and recounted his days in the Chicago skate scene. Lau performed a more traditional love poem and recited a poem while break dancing.

The performance concluded with the audience singing Happy Birthday and presenting a cake to Dan Sullivan, as he was celebrating his 27th birthday. The duo sold CDs and books, but offered to sell them at a discount for those who could not afford the asking price.

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