The Mayhem Poets hit The End Zone on April 18, wowing Iona students with their combination of poetry, rap and spoken word. Consisting of Kyle Rapps, Mason Granger and Scott Raven, the group typically performs at inner-city schools where they do a combination of rap battles, hip-hop and poetry. Living up to their name, the three brought the mayhem by jumping on tables, turning over chairs and inspiring yells and cheers from the crowd. Rapps, Granger and Raven gave it their all despite the small crowd. They even stopped occasionally, trying to draw in people wandering through LaPenta. The performance started with all three speaking together, introducing their group with the message “I wanna say something.” They conveyed the importance of words and poetry for inspiring change in people. Throughout the show, they alternated between speaking alone, telling their own stories and performing together. Each had a different theme to their poems and a particular message that they wanted to show. Rapps informed the audience that he only got into poetry to meet girls, reciting a poem he wrote in the fifth grade to his crush. He delved deeper into relationships with heartbreak, the Internet age and a heartfelt dedication to the spirit he saw in his mom, who recently passed away. Granger, on the other hand, preached about the change necessary in the world, touching upon gas prices, trees, the environment and pollution. He then performed a “breakfast battle,” in which healthy foods battled unhealthy, accompanied by elaborate sound effects. Raven hit home as he discussed problems of self-image and self-esteem. He talked about stereotypes, rapping a whole poem about being “white, so white” and defying the assumptions made about him. Raven said he was afraid of irrational things, but more importantly, he was afraid of being himself. Throughout the performance, The Mayhem Poets kept the audience engaged, entertained and on the edge of their seats. Sophomore Matt Harrigan, union programming chair for GAB, said, “The Mayhem Poets were great. We have to have them back in the future because a lot of people liked them.” Some students even stayed after the show to talk to the group and ask them a few questions. After talking with the three performers, freshman Michelle Muzzio said, “I never really knew poetry could be used in such a modern way and be so entertaining to watch.” Words, like the group suggested, are a powerful thing and something every person should take advantage of. With the magnitude of The Mayhem Poets’ performance, the small crowd was affected. If they come back to Iona, like Harrigan suggested, this crowd is surely to use their words to garner a larger audience.