Hip-hop entertainment guru Russell Simmons brings urban poetry to the conservative stage.

Def Jam poet Flaco Navaja says Broadway audiences are growing and changing. As young, urban artists begin to realize the value and beauty of their talents, so do the mainstream media.

Instead of adapting their styles to traditional forms, these artists are adapting the art form to fit them.

“Throw away any misconceptions you have of poetry,” Navaja says. “A lot of people assume young poets are bohemians beating on drums who think the world is wonderful if we all smoke weed and sing. That’s not what you’re going to get from our show.”

In their form of poetry, slam, the nine poets and one DJ mix traditional poetry recitation with hip-hop and stand-up comedy to create a new form of theater and entertainment. Touching on everything from politics to love and favorite foods, Navaja says, the Def Jam poets explore topics as diverse as their own backgrounds. Navaja says the audience can really make no assumptions about the show beforehand.

“You’re going to see nine poets from different walks of life with different styles and views,” Navaja says.

“It’s not a show that can be appreciated by only people who like poetry. Our audience is a growing demographic.”

Navaja says it’s very interesting to look out at an audience and see a 90-year-old Jewish woman with season tickets to the theater who never misses a show sitting next to a 13-year-old black girl at her first Broadway production. The two may have come for different reasons, and may have reacted differently to the performances and walked away with different impressions.

But, Navaja says, the point is they are walking away together, having shared an experience with the poets and with each other.

“You can look forward to connecting with something on a human level,” he says.

“You can completely disagree with everything we say, but you’ll walk away with something new. Oddly enough, probably from the people you’d least expect to connect with.”

What’s more, Navaja says sometimes the performances can be as interesting for the poets as they are for the audiences sometimes.

“The poets often come from a poetry scene, reading poetry for other poets who understand the craft and efforts made,” Navaja says. “Then we perform for people who are not necessarily into poetry or our type of poetry. They’re audiences who are trained for the theater.”

Navaja says sometimes it takes a while for the traditional theater crowds to warm up to slam poetry. These audiences are used to sitting quietly and politely applauding at the end. Def Jam poets, on the other hand, are used to, and feed off of, shouting and clapping throughout the show. Navaja says the non-traditional audience members often do not hesitate to respond in these ways, and the others slowly come to join in or at least look less uncomfortable.

With minimal stage setup and props, Def Poetry Jam is all about the poetry, the messages, the people. Navaja says there is no need for flashy, bulky stage props. The poets are raw and invite the audience into different parts of their lives during each performance.

“Although it has these strong messages and strong views, it’s not hitting you over the head with this rhetoric even if you totally disagree with us,” Navaja says.

“I’d rather have someone hate it or love it, rather than be indifferent.”