About Me
His words are to inspire and admire; his delivery is strong and unfettered; and his boyish good looks are innocent yet downright sexy. Metaphorically speaking, spoken-word impresario J. Ivy is the fork in the road where traditionally poetry meets hip-hop, blurring genres with his infectious mix of word play and musicality that have transfixed audiences across the country. He is known from his native Chicago to Los Angeles, from Nashville to Philly, from New York to Miami, from Jamaica to Toronto, and other national/international hot beds. Performing and sharing stages with artist like Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bo Diddley, legends Patti Labelle, El Debarge, Roy Ayers, The Last Poets, and Bob Dylan, and new schoolers, like Erykah Badu, Carl Thomas, Jill Scott, Mos Def, The Roots, John Legend, Tarrey Torae, and many more. His genuine love for word play has served as the fuel for this poetic locomotive that shows no signs of derailing.Since being an instrumental force in the spoken word scene in his home town of Chicago, J. Ivy has gone on to perform throughout the United States at colleges, special engagements, headlining concerts and more.With a strong desire to be a pioneer, J. Ivy was the first African-American to represent Chicago on the award winning Russell Simmons' HBO Def Poetry Series during the first season. After years of paying dues, he was invited back to the Def Poetry stage for the fourth and fifth seasons, where he performed his heartfelt poem 'Dear Father,' and one of the most historic verses in Hip-Hop from the song "Never Let Me Down." He was also featured in the shows award winning promos. He has recorded with the RZA of the infamous Wu-Tang Clan, and with super-producer Kanye West for his triple platinum/Grammy winning album, The College Dropout, where he is featured on a song with Hip-Hop legend Jay-Z. The same night he recorded that Grammy Winning verse, he tagged a young singer, by the name of John Stephens, with a new name "John Legend." He was been seen in a cameo performance, where he played 'Jesus' in Kanye's 3rd version of his hit single 'Jesus Walks' video. He has done voice-over work for HBO Boxing, several MTV shows - 'Who's Got Game,' Snoop Dogg's Televizzle, MTV2's 2004 New Year's Eve Bash, and the intro for the 2006 episode "My Block/Chicago." J. Ivy has also hosted the Big Easy Poetry Slam held at the House of Blues in New Orleans during the Essence Jazz Festival. He appeared on a special edition of B.E.T.'s Lyric Caf.., and performed in several cities for the national Essence Magazine/Nissan's Electric Moyo Tour. He can also be heard on The Hip-Hop Violinist, Miri Ben-Ari's album, as well as other special features. He was featured in several magazines, such as Complex, XXL, and Mugshot, for Mecca 's national ad campaign. He has also performed at the internationally acclaimed Apollo Theatre, contributed work for the NBA Finals, and has even written a rap verse for Ms. Martha Stewart. J. Ivy is currently completing work on his forthcoming book; 'I'm Not That Good With Words,' his next album, 'Life after Life/Izn't It Ivyous,' and his group's (J. Torae, who along side Danny Glover and Mekhi Phiper, appeared as guest performers on NBC's Emmy Award Winning Show "E.R.") album entitled "Mr. & Mrs. Richardson/Attack of the Good People!"J. Ivy was also seen on ABC where he performed several pieces for the BCS Selection Show, The All-America Team Show hosted by Dean Kane, the 2005 FedEx national championship game, The Orange Bowl, which was viewed by over 30 million households, and for Monday Night Football, where he cleverly crafted a dramatic piece for Mike Vick of the Atlanta Falcons. J. Ivy also recently narrated NBA Star Baron Davis' film "The Road to the Rucker," which is due to come out in 2007.MOST RECENTLY J. IVY IS HEADING UP VERIZON'S NATION WIDE "HISTORY IN THE MAKING" CAMPAIGN. THE CAMPAIGN INCLUDES A PRINT AD, WHICH IS FEATURED IN MANY PUBLICATIONS, INCLUDING THE FEBRUARY ISSUES OF ESSENCE, EBONY, THE JET, AMERICAN LEGACY, FADER, NATIONAL, SCLC, AND BLACK ENTERPRISE, WHICH IS FEATURED IN THE FEBRUARY ISSUE OF ESSENCE, EBONY, THE JET, AMERICAN LEGACY, FADER, AND BLACK ENTERPRISE, WHICH ALSO INCLUDES A VOICE CHIP ALLOWING YOU TO HERE A PORTION OF THE PIECE. THE CAMPAIGN IS FEATURED IN RADIO COMMERCIALS, WHICH CAN BE HEARD NATIONWIDE. AND THERE IS ALSO A CINEMATIC VERSION, WHICH WAS DIRECTED BY AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR BOB GIRALDI (DIRECTOR OF MICHAEL JACKSON'S "BEAT IT"), PREMIERING IN SELECTED MOVIE THEATRES AROUND THE COUNTRY. For viewing click on the link below the videos.True indeed, J. Ivy has made strides in his career, but these are merely baby steps in comparison to where his path will take him.In the words of J. always remember 'Dreams Don't Come True, They Are True!'
