africans, and it meant wicked or disorderly, to dance, or a place of shelter. jook joints started as plantation community rooms during slavery times. they went on to become the small, private, african-american run bars, clubs, and lounges. first, in rural areas, then in towns and cities. where workers could dance, drink, party, and gamble, as a respite from the hard labor of delta sharecropping, tenant farming, house service, and segregation. they were often condemned by church leaders as houses of the devil. william po monkey seaberry runs this place, as he has since 1963. and he makes the rules. how long has this been a business? william po monkey seaberry: i ve been in this place 58 years. i m 74. anthony: how did you get into this business? william po monkey seaberry: i just got into it. something i liked to do. and everybody come here enjoy
whole hog, sweet jerk chicken, and brisket. hell, i feel better already. man: the mississippi that i ve received is not the mississippi that i ve had in my head. i was surprised on how sold i was off the bat. if you wanna write, you come to oxford. anthony: do you think that s true? well, apparently yes. jack pendarvis: like that line in barton fink, you can t throw a rock without hitting a writer. and then he says, do me a favor, throw it hard. john currence: it s easy to just look at mississippi and go, that just happens down there, so we re good, our hands are clean. it s a totally misperceived place. when i came, i fell in love with the place. i never thought that i would there s something to it, but you can t put your finger on what it is. anthony: what it is can be found in the dark spaces, across the tracks, and on the other side of town. good evening, ladies and gentlemen. welcome to the lounge, front by the cemetery and back by the
so you should be thankful the party s not over we won the race cause they ran a lame campaign i m over here cooking victory you want a taste? anthony: pyinfamous is a proud son and resident of mississippi. a youth mentor in jackson s church and public school systems, owner of a marketing agency, and hip-hop artist. this town, it feels empty. where is everybody? pyinfamous: i think one thing is a lot of people think that you have to leave mississippi to be able to do something great. but i think a lot of it is there s so much bubbling in the undercurrent that sometimes isn t seen. and i think it takes an artist who usually takes something that s blank and creates something that s awesome to be able to see the potential in a place, in a canvas, so to speak, that has been vacated by others. anthony: soul wired cafe. one of a number of places where something is going on. where artists, entrepreneurs move into workshops, perform in spaces, set up something new and good in f
never gonna fall for my spider move august and september block your october so you should be thankful the party s not over we won the race cause they ran a lame campaign i m over here cooking victory you want a taste? anthony: pyinfamous is a proud son and resident of mississippi. a youth mentor in jackson s church and public school systems, owner of a marketing agency, and hip-hop artist. this town, it feels empty. where is everybody? pyinfamous: i think one thing is a lot of people think that you have to leave mississippi to be able to do something great. but i think a lot of it is there s so much bubbling in the undercurrent that sometimes isn t seen. and i think it takes an artist who usually takes something that s blank and creates something that s awesome to be able to see the potential in a place,n a canvas, so to speak, that has been vacated by others. anthony: soul wired cafe. one of a number of places where
better about the world. particularly if accompanied by freshly baked cornbread, biscuits, pulled pork off that whole hog, sweet jerk chicken, and brisket. hell, i feel better already. man: the mississippi that i ve received is not the mississippi that i ve had in my head. i was surprised on how sold i was off the bat. if you wanna write, you come to oxford. anthony: do you think that s true? well, apparently yes. jack pendarvis: like that line in barton fink, you can t throw a rock without hitting a writer. and then he says, do me a favor, throw it hard. john currence: it s easy to just look at mississippi and go, that just happens down there, so we re good, our hands are clean. it s a totally misperceived place. when i came, i fell in love with the place. i never thought that i would there s something to it, but you can t put your finger on what it is. anthony: what it is can be found in the dark spaces, across the tracks, and on the other side of town.