“I’ve all the time identified that I used to be presupposed to make historical past,” says poet-author J. Ivy. His pure capability to convey myriad feelings by written and spoken phrase is why the Chicago native continues to captivate audiences after 30 years. Identified to many as a pioneer of hip-hop poetry, he has shared the stage with icons equivalent to Prince and Lauryn Hill and carried out at particular occasions for Michael Jordan and Deepak Chopra.
However maybe Ivy’s largest milestone occurred simply two months in the past on the sixty fifth annual Grammy Awards. That’s when his sixth album, The Poet Who Sat by the Door, received the inaugural gramophone for greatest spoken phrase poetry album. Previous to that, poets and spoken phrase artists had been grouped in the identical class with audiobooks, storytelling and narration — together with Dr. Maya Angelou, who had been the one Grammy-winning poet. Nevertheless, because of Ivy’s lead and a petition supported by 100+ poets, the Recording Academy introduced the addition of the very best spoken phrase poetry album class final June.
“To face within the footsteps of the nice Dr. Maya Angelou is one thing that I’m nonetheless processing,” Ivy shares — as April, Nationwide Poetry Month, will get underway. “I’d say I’ve dropped an ocean of tears. I’ve the chance and the accountability to characterize. To face on this house and be capable of make historical past … I perceive what it’s.”
The title of Ivy’s Grammy-winning album was impressed each by his function in establishing the brand new class and by the 1969 novel/1973 movie The Spook Who Sat by the Door. The novel revolves across the exploits of fictional character Dan Freeman, the primary Black CIA officer. “I used to be gathering data and giving it again to the poetry neighborhood,” Ivy remembers of making and recording the album. “I stored cracking this joke, ‘I’m just like the poet who sat by the door.’”
Produced primarily by R&B/hip-hop artist Sir the Baptist, Ivy’s newest opus options cogent lyrics about defiance, endurance, love, ardour, oppression, religion, therapeutic and redemption. Ivy known as on “an incredible solid of creatives” to carry out, together with John Legend, Ledisi, PJ Morton, BJ The Chicago Child and Ivy’s singer-songwriter spouse Tarry Torae. As the primary Black poet from Chicago to look on Russell Simmons Presents HBO Def Poetry, Ivy stays true to showcasing the worth of his craft.
“Loads of occasions poetry is the butt of the joke — and we’ve by no means been a joke,” he explains. “Poetry is the seed of each tune ever written. Additionally each film, each script, each business, each literature comes from poetry. It educates, paperwork historical past, entertains, modifications and shifts lives in a constructive manner.”
Born James Ivy Richardson II, the artist credit his highschool English trainer Paula Argue for pushing him to carry out his poetry on the faculty’s Black Historical past Month expertise present. “What I realized is you’re not gon’ argue with any person named Ms. Argue,” he says. After a shock standing ovation, his future was set.
Ivy additionally shouts out Beyoncé for an additional early profession milestone. “A really credible supply,” he remembers, “advised me that she was the one who advised Kanye [West] to maintain me on ‘By no means Let Me Down.’” Ivy was featured together with Jay-Z on the monitor from 2004’s The School Dropout.
“The identical evening I recorded ‘By no means …’ is similar evening I met John Stephens,” Ivy continues. “His music seemed like music my people used to hearken to again within the day. So I used to be like, ‘You sound like one of many legends.’ All people else [in the studio] is shouting him out like ‘John Stephens in the home.’ I used to be like, ‘John Legend.’ All people checked out me and again at him. Then Kanye stated, ‘Man, you John Legend any more.’”
Along with his Grammy win, Ivy carried out on and government produced The City Hymnal by the Tennessee State College marching band. Often known as the Aristocrat of Bands, the group additionally made Grammy historical past this 12 months as the primary marching band to win the award for greatest gospel roots album.
“I’m simply tremendous grateful to be doing what I really like,” says Ivy — who was additionally the lead author, voice director and solid member on the 2022 Netflix docuseries, jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy. “It’s opened up loads of doorways.”
Having lately celebrated J. Ivy Day in Chicago on March 3, his 47th birthday, Ivy has additionally been tapped as the brand new spokesperson for Bulleit Bourbon. Future plans embody increasing past earlier roles as author and narrator of quick movies and documentaries to full-fledged film actor. Between performing courses, Ivy will quickly launch the quick movie/music video for “Operating.” It’s the primary single from The Poet Who Sat by the Door and options Legend, Slick Rick and Verse. The video is directed by Ivy’s longtime mates and collaborators Coodie and Chike of jeen-yuhs fame.
“It’s in all probability the one report in historical past with Slick Rick doing a poem,” notes Ivy.
Proper now, the busy Ivy is on the street together with his Metropolis Vineyard tour, named after the album and in celebration of the Grammy win. The multi-city tour kicked off in New York Metropolis on March 24. Upcoming dates embody Boston (April 11) and Atlanta (4/23), with extra to return. Performing poetry from his present album in addition to fashionable items from previous works, he’s accompanied by his band and Tarrey Torae on vocals.
“Persons are going to see me simply pouring out all my gratitude,” declares Ivy. “I need to give the world an expertise that they haven’t fairly had with poetry. Poetry has saved my life; it’s carried me by the years. I simply need to give all that again onstage.”
