WHO IS DA~REALONE?
Will Bell, "Da~RealOne," while growing up in the Liberty City projects of Miami. It wasn't unusual for him to be suddenly awakened on school mornings by the sounds of Marvin Gaye singing "Sexual Healing" on the household stereo and the loud laughter of a house full of people engrossed in card games. The separation of his parents, the need to belong, and the lack of positive neighborhood surroundings are just some of the adversities that allowed him to make the amazing transition from troubled youth to a five time nationally televised spoken word artist.Early on he wrote and recited for only friends until a close friend read a powerfully poignant piece he had written called "Still Swinging." So moved by this piece, he was asked if he realized that people were gracing stages all over the country with poetry like this. His answer was, "No." He was immediately introduced to another poet who took him to his first spoken word venue where his words blazed the stage and without even knowing what it was, he had entered a "Lip, Tongue, and Ear" Poetry Slam and walked away with first place! The year was 2001. It was the year Will Bell became "Da~RealOne" and his passion for this art form was made clear. The stage was set for his success.Inspired by the other poets, he reflected on the excitement he felt and the sense of power he witnessed that seemed to be most present when poetry is performed in front of a microphone. He compared his first spoken word experience to being "the next best thing since ice-cream in the summertime." Ever since that first night, he's been awakening spirits with political musings that ignite fire, sharing bittersweet memories of his past, and turning up the heat with sensual erotic metaphors.WHERE HE'S BEEN...As a spoken word artist, Will "Da~RealOne" accumulated a wealth of experience through his many performances throughout the United States. He's appeared on stages in
Boston, Mass.
Durham, NH
St. Louis, MO
Tallahassee, FL
Baltimore, MD
Washington DC
Norfolk, VA
Hampton VA
New Orleans, LA
Atlanta Ga.
Birmingham, AL
Los Angeles, CA
San Diego, CA
Tampa, FL
New York. NY
Memphis TN.
Phoenix AZ.
New Mexico
Jamaica (Black River)
Turks Islands PV.
Linden NJ.
Chicago ILL.
Sacramento CA.
Minnesota MN
Milwaukee WIC.
Honolulu Hawaii
And he continues to frequent poetry venues locally and internationally, recently adding hosting and promotions to his already extensive repertoire of experience.WHAT HE'S DONE...He is a Canadian World International Poetry Slam Champion 2004 and 2005. A Miami Masters Preliminary Slam Finalist, M. O. M. A. Poetry Slam Champion, Ghetto Poetry Slam Champion, The Love Jones Revived Slam Champion, Flo-Wednesdays Slam Champion, Funk Jazz Lounge Slam Champion, Mello-Mondays Slam Champion and most recently The Miami Masters Poetry Tournament Slam Champion. Will made his mark in the history of South Florida poets by being the first poet to ever hold down a prime time radio spot, on Power 96's Teddy T and Lucy show. He was also the first poet to grace the air waves of all three major urban radio stations in the area (WEDR/99Jamz,/Power96, and /HOT105). He has just completed two back to back seasons on the HBO program Russell Simmons presents HBO's Def Poetry Jam.
With other notable appearances including many local cable shows. He also appeared on the new Black Family channel (MBC Network) on the new hit show "Spoken." He is the official sports poet on CBS Sports Zone with Jim Berry. And has just completed a two cameo appearance in the new BADBOY Entertainment video of The Notorious B.I.G and Bob Marley "Hold ya head."Urban Poet Laureate award of Dade County at the Lip, Tongue, and Ear Slam Championship. The recipient of the "Black On Black Rhyme" Mr. Poetry Award 2005.
He has performed and worked with "The Summer Bridge Program," a school for gifted youth in Miami, during the summer of 2003. His goal: to introduce young people to this creative way of using words to express themselves. An advocate of young people, he is frequently asked to make presentations to youth, especially those from the same environments as he had to endure as a child.Invitations to make video appearances and CD collaborations resulted in working with Malcolm Jamal Warner (Cosby Show), and being featured on the "Blues Resurgence" CD by internationally renown spoken wordsmith Talaam Acey.Will's style has even scored him an endorsement deal with a Miami-based urban clothing store (Cool J's) selling all the latest brands. He has graced the stage with Mos Def, Dead Prez, Flowetry, Clifton Powell, John Ledgen, Alicia Keys, Malcolm Jamal Warner, Monique (Parkers and Queens of comedy), black-eyed Peas, Johnny Gill and Eric Bene't.ALL IN ALL...Dubbed the Tupac of Poetry, his style has been compared to the late great rap artist Tupac-Shakur due to his raw edgy content and straight forward delivery. His formidable stature and strong-baritone voice command attention. His word play holds an audience spellbound like the intricately woven lyrics of a song. What he shares is personal, and his audiences feel it. His persona is one of modest strength and calm passion. When asked what keeps him humble in an arena that he seems to dominate wherever he goes, his reply is this, "I am never bigger than the poems I write or the people who listen to them."HIGHLIGHTS OF DA~REALONETHE MEDIA
Featured on Live From Da~Crib television show
Miami Herald Article
Appeared on Haitian Television Network
Westside Gazette
Urban America News paper
Hits Factory television show
Positive Beauty Image Magazine
Power 96 Teddy T & Lucy radio show
Hot 105 Funk Jazz Lounge show
Sun-Sentenal
CBS
ABC
NBC
HTNCOMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:Da~RealOne has strong ties with the South Florida community. He donates more than his time, energy, and knowledge to the youth of South Florida.
Some of his contributions to the community include:
The Eckerd Youth Alternatives (http://www.eckerd.org)
The Summer Bridge Program School for Gifted Youth
Poetry Workshops to elementary school children in Corpus Christie Catholic School
The Rights to Passage Program sponsored by The Urban League of Fort Lauderdale
The Dade County Juvenile Justice Program
The Martin Luther King Relive the Dream Candlelight Vigil by Coretta Scott King, City of Miami, and Metro Dade County
Contact Info: 786-234-7638
[email protected]
Will Da Real One Baby!
