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In the beginning there
was the word, the foundation of all forms of
art. And when it comes to the art of Poetry or
new age Spoken Word, J. Ivy has
truly served as a poetic pioneer. Not only was
the Chicago bred poet one of the first to grace
the stage of the Award Winning HBO Russell
Simmons Def Poetry Series , but he was
asked to return to the show for two encore performances,
where he received standing ovations on each of
his appearances. From there , J.
Ivy has gone on to receive a Grammy for
his participation on Kanye's West "College
Dropout" album, where he followed Hip-Hop
legend Jay-Z and the ingenious
Mr. West, unleashing one of the most memorable
and heart felt verses of our time on the classic
song "Never Let Me Down." But
the poetic journey doesn't end there.
J. Ivy has managed to allow
his craft to drive him to many creative avenues.
Whether it has been on-camera work for networks
such as ABC, NBC, VHI, B.E.T., FOX, MTV,
and HBO , voiceovers for the sports
world on shows like HBO's "Costas Now," "HBO
Boxing," or MTV's "Who's Got
Game." His
on-camera opening tease for 30million viewers
during the "Fed Ex Orange
Bowl," the "NBA Finals," or
the introduction of NFL superstar Mike
Vick for "Monday Night Football." Whether
it was thru photo shoots that were taken for
national print ads for Mecca and LRG ,
concerts that were performed along side artists
such Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bo Diddley , Patti
Labelle, Dougie Fresh, Chuck
D, El Debarge, Roy Ayers, The Last Poets, Bob
Dylan, Erykah Badu, Carl Thomas,
Jill Scott, Mos Def, Kanye West, John Legend and Tarrey
Torae , who he has recently formed a
music group with called J. Torae, which
was introduced on the Emmy Award Winning
Drama Series, "ER" ( www.JTorae.com)
. Or
guest appearances on national albums for artist
such as Kanye West, Miri Ben-Ari, Lil
Mo , and John Legend ,
who J. Ivy nick-named, J .
has truly served as a voice for the times taking
poetry to places it hasn't quite gone before.
With a strong ambition to add his name to the
history books, J. Ivy has taken
his talent and his message, which encourages
listeners to believe in them selves to a point
where obstacles become obsolete, and in doing
so he has moved the minds of millions! "Some
laugh, some cry, some think deep, some are inspired
to pick up there own pen, some stand and clap,
scream and holler, some heal, some are thankful
for moving them, for giving them hope, for delivering
the right message at the right time, for putting
a smile on their face, or for putting a desire
to become a better them in their hearts. No matter
where I go, whether in my hometown Chicago, to
New York, to Jamaica, Toronto, Los Angeles, or
even in Paris, 99.9% of the time I receive a
similar reaction. And I don't know why I have
been the one chosen to touch them that way, with
a gift that is definitely not of me, but please
believe me when I say I am thankful!" says J.
Ivy in
a recent interview. And it is the attitude of
that quote that pushes J. Ivy ,
allowing him to touch the world thru television,
radio, concerts, literature, and college tours,
allowing him to move closer to his goal, allowing
him to reach the unreachable, allowing him to
change the world one poem at a time. So in the
words of J. Ivy always remember "Dreams
Don't Come True, They Are True!" Dream Big! |
