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Grammy Award Winner J. Ivy & Tarrey Torae Celebrate The Win & Recap Trip to Ghana | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
Apr 5, 2023
J.Ivy and Tarry Torae stopped by Sway In The Morning to talk about their new tour, Grammy win, and much more.
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Grammy Award Winner J. Ivy & Tarrey Torae Celebrate The Win & Recap Trip to Ghana | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
https://youtu.be/ObbUsogwwEw
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0:00
And at that time, that was the week,
0:01
first week of January, citizens, and at
0:04
that time, this next young man who's
0:06
been on our show a slew of times, and
0:09
and we he's just been so consistent with
0:11
his work
0:13
from that song we played, Never Let Me
0:14
Down, featuring Jay-Z from Kanye West's
0:17
project, to receiving his NAACP award
0:20
for his narration of the BET Muhammad
0:23
Ali documentary, to his Here I Am album,
0:25
to his Here I Am
0:27
the book, to his Dear Father project
0:29
that he put out all the way to Ghana. We
0:32
just played this song Running featuring
0:34
Slick Rick and many others. The video is
0:36
going to be an award-winning video. I'm
0:38
fortunate enough to be a part of that
0:40
video.
0:41
Right, yes, I'm actually in that video
0:43
doing an old-school MTV News style
0:45
report.
0:47
And it's I can't give up too many
0:49
secrets. There's some heavy hitters in
0:51
this video. And at the time that we shot
0:54
the this video and at the time that I
0:57
first met him, he wasn't what he is
0:59
today. So, I have to introduce him
1:01
differently today than I ever had a
1:03
opportunity to introduce him at all.
1:05
Citizens, I want you to give a big round
1:07
of applause for a Grammy Award-winning
1:10
JAY IVY.
1:19
IN A LOT OF HIS WORK,
1:22
YOU KNOW, he'll tell you it's always
1:23
been a collaborative effort. We got a
1:25
few friends in here. My man Chance is
1:27
here. Citizen Chance is here.
1:31
Sashay, his lovely life partner as well.
1:35
She's here in spirit. And then I have to
1:37
give a salute because when we were in
1:39
Ghana, I really got to know Jay Ivy's
1:41
better half a little more. And I
1:44
realized how instrumental he she's been
1:46
in the DNA of his success. You know, and
1:48
they say behind every great man is a
1:50
what, Tracy G?
1:51
Great woman.
1:52
So, please welcome Tariq Luqmaan here,
1:54
she's here, too. Come on.
1:56
Tariq Luqmaan,
1:59
thank you.
2:00
Yeah, man. It's a pleasure and an honor.
2:02
Uh today's a big day, right?
2:03
Today's a big day, man. It's the kickoff
2:06
the JIV Grammy Celebration Tour. Kicks
2:09
off tonight in New York City at City
2:13
Winery.
2:14
Wow.
2:15
Featuring Talib Kweli. We got the band
2:18
with us. And man, it's a celebration,
2:20
man. I'm happy to be here, man.
2:21
At City Winery. Where's that at? Is that
2:24
an alcohol thing? You know what
2:25
Why would you even point to me like
2:27
JIV, talk to your man. Get your man
2:29
immediately.
2:30
Let him know where you going to
2:32
Where is it at?
2:34
Where is it at? It's on It's on 15th
2:36
Street. I know that. You got to ask
2:38
somebody. Got to Google it.
2:39
It's down off the pier.
2:40
Yeah, it's on the pier. It's on the
2:41
river. Down on the river.
2:44
City Winery. That was Do what you think
2:46
of the that clip I played? Talib was
2:47
just there yesterday.
2:48
That was hilarious. I would I didn't
2:50
know that's where that was going.
2:53
That caught me off guard. I'm like,
2:54
where's this going? You know? Yeah,
2:55
that's hilarious.
2:57
Talib, is it true? Is it true? Is it
2:58
true? Is it true that's what you were
2:59
I mean,
3:00
we was we was celebrating. We was
3:02
celebrating. We was having a good time.
3:05
Good time.
3:05
We had better than a good time.
3:06
Yeah, it was It was epic.
3:08
What was that Ghana trip like for y'all?
3:09
Like when you when you got back and
3:11
start reflecting on it?
3:12
Man, it was just it was just liberating
3:15
to know that,
3:16
you know, we had opportunity to go home
3:18
for the ancestors, for for our families,
3:20
for so many that haven't been able to go
3:23
back. We were able to do that and
3:24
represent. It was just beautiful, man.
3:27
The energy, the the people, the culture,
3:30
the music, the food. Just everything
3:32
about it was beautiful.
3:33
To me, it was also a reminder. Like
3:36
we're in service right now. We have
3:38
marching orders to
3:41
you know, to to fulfill on our
3:43
ancestors' behalf.
3:45
Everything they went through, how dare
3:46
we take our time doing anything? How
3:48
dare we be lazy? How dare that do
3:50
anything less? So, for me, that was a
3:53
big reminder and I came home on fire
3:55
because I felt like, "Man, everything we
3:58
went through, I'm walking with their
3:59
DNA." Like you talk about DNA, I'm
4:01
walking with their DNA in me and they're
4:03
trying to fulfill certain goals and
4:05
certain passions that they would have
4:07
had and the talents that they brought,
4:09
you know, to build a country that they
4:10
was never appreciated for.
4:12
Mhm.
4:12
You know? And so, I feel like we walking
4:14
around with that weight, but we walking
4:15
around on the shoulder of giants and we
4:17
got to fulfill the the goals that they
4:18
had also. So, that's I came back a
4:20
little heavy from from Ghana. I didn't
4:23
party and smoke, you know, like some of
4:25
y'all.
4:28
I didn't either.
4:28
I'm just saying.
4:30
I'm just saying.
4:31
I didn't take one drink because I didn't
4:32
go we were I can't think of the name of
4:34
the restaurant we were at where we
4:35
played that bogus domino game and
4:37
Oh, yeah, you talking the the bogus one.
4:39
That means somebody else won besides
4:41
Sway.
4:41
You talking about the one where I won?
4:43
You talking about
4:44
the one where we kicked off the New Year
4:45
with the win? That was That one. That
4:47
one. Yeah, that one. Yeah, that was a
4:48
great win. That was a great win.
4:50
The owners of the restaurant was so
4:52
everybody was black. All ownership.
4:54
Yeah, everything proprietorship, the
4:56
whole nine and then had their own
4:57
tequila. And I was like, "Yo, man, I'm
5:00
not drinking, you know, I was like" They
5:01
was like, "Sway, you all the way in
5:03
Ghana."
5:03
Yeah.
5:04
You know? So, I had to take a sip of the
5:06
times you going to get to say that? You
5:08
know? Like and that's why I love what
5:10
you said, sis. I think what happens to
5:13
individuals when you realize that your
5:16
life ultimately is about purpose,
5:18
service, and obedience, things change
5:20
for you. You know, your decision-making
5:23
changes. Just circles change. You that
5:25
that light, you know, comes even in the
5:28
midst of the heaviness, that light comes
5:30
on you and it's like, "I ain't got time
5:32
for that." Like it's no disrespect for
5:34
nobody. So, I think as much as we all
5:37
know like the burden that we may carry
5:39
whether it's in the the purpose or the
5:41
family or whatever, it's so important to
5:44
support each each and celebrate one
5:46
another because we realize it's about
5:47
the service as well.
5:49
Absolutely.
5:50
It is. And that that red palm oil over
5:52
there was a little rough.
5:53
The palm oil.
5:54
I had to adjust to it. Yeah. You know,
5:56
they fry everything in that
5:58
Yeah. Yeah.
5:59
That was another reason why I came back
6:00
heavy.
6:03
Just kidding.
6:03
That's what that liquor was made out of,
6:05
palm.
6:06
Really?
6:06
It was palm It was palm It was some palm
6:08
oil.
6:08
Red palm oil.
6:10
I just didn't want to I didn't want
6:11
anything to cloud my my mental, my
6:14
vision. I wanted to just absorb in
6:17
Africa just clear clear-minded,
6:20
open-hearted, lucid, and the whole nine
6:22
because I knew the energy that was going
6:24
to come was going to intoxicate us. So,
6:27
every night we were hanging out till
6:29
6:00 in the morning with the with the
6:30
party beast, Dave Chappelle. I'm still
6:33
Oh my god.
6:34
Dave was like, "Nobody sleep, man."
6:36
Nobody slept. Thanks, Dave.
6:38
And and so, we had a good time.
6:41
Um
6:41
what I found fascinating about Ghana,
6:43
let's talk about spoken word. You know,
6:46
how familiar was the communities that
6:49
you visited to spoken word?
6:51
Oh man, the the spoken word scene over
6:54
there was heavy. Um there's a lot of
6:56
poets there. Got a chance to perform
6:59
over there. Um went to a poetry spot. I
7:02
think it was New Year's Day. New Year's
7:05
night we went to a poetry spot and
7:07
performed and saw some dynamic poets
7:09
from from Ghana. There was some folk
7:11
visiting from London, from the States.
7:14
Uh Big shoutout It was Poetry Meets
7:16
Please was the name of the event. So,
7:18
big shoutout to them. They actually from
7:20
New York and they took the show over
7:22
there. And it it was just incredible,
7:24
man. The poets uh they're doing their
7:26
thing that way. And it is amazing to see
7:29
uh poets represent worldwide and because
7:31
our stories are so necessary. So, to to
7:34
hear those perspectives was incredible.
7:36
You won the Grammy for
7:39
the best spoken word poetry album. The
7:41
album is called The Poet Who Sat by the
7:44
Dove.
7:44
Yes, and that song running you can find
7:46
on it.
7:47
First to ever win this award.
7:50
Yeah.
7:51
The award never existed.
7:52
Right.
7:53
Prior to this year.
7:54
Yeah.
7:55
And for years, you along with others
7:57
like Chance the Citizen and
7:59
the collective the tribe have been
8:01
working with the Grammys to make this
8:03
happen. Talk about that.
8:05
Yeah, so for six years
8:07
I was introduced to the board and for
8:10
the recording academy. I became
8:12
president of the Chicago chapter and
8:14
which made me the first poet in the
8:16
history of the recording academy to hold
8:19
a president seat. There's 12 chapters so
8:22
I became the first poet to hold the
8:23
president seat. Then I became a national
8:25
trustee. So there's a spoken word
8:27
category that has existed.
8:30
Maya Angelou, she's the only other poet
8:32
to ever win a Grammy and she won in this
8:34
category. But the category included
8:36
audio books, narration, storytelling and
8:38
the audio books dominated the category.
8:41
And the title was different.
8:42
Yeah. So I I wanted to make sure that
8:45
poets had a space so I went to the
8:47
board, went to the board of trustees
8:49
like look we need to switch this up. So
8:51
for six years I worked on this. I was
8:53
getting the information about the
8:56
recording
8:57
about the uh
8:58
uh submission process and what qualifies
9:01
as an album and all these different
9:02
things and I'm like man I've been doing
9:04
this a long time and I ain't never heard
9:06
this. Chances are other poets don't know
9:08
this so I started getting that
9:09
information back to the poets hence the
9:11
poet who sat by the Dove.
9:13
And then
9:14
man I wrote a proposal a new definition.
9:16
Big shout out to Jamila Woods who helped
9:18
me with that. Matt Hennessy, Omar Keith
9:21
and submitted this proposal and we voted
9:23
on it in the past. So this year was the
9:25
first year in the history of the Grammys
9:27
that five poets were nominated and big
9:29
shout out to Amanda Gorman, Malcolm
9:31
Jamal Warner, my brother
9:33
Amir Sulaiman, Ethelbert Miller and
9:36
J.I.V. and I was able to bring it home
9:39
for for the poets.
9:40
win.
9:41
For the win.
9:41
For the poets.
9:42
For the ancestors.
9:43
For the ancestors.
9:44
wonder how poets feel about
9:47
um um the the comparisons to rap and and
9:51
do people at your level feel like rap is
9:54
given more value today on the mainstream
9:57
level than poetry?
9:58
Oh, I mean yeah, on the mainstream
10:00
level, yes. But we all know that that
10:04
hip hop and rap it is springboarded from
10:08
poetry. You know, you have folks like
10:10
The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron who
10:13
are the the godfathers of of rap, the
10:16
godfathers of hip hop. You know, they
10:18
they took poetry and they they added the
10:21
beat to it, they added the music to it
10:23
and then that later evolved into into
10:26
hip hop. So, and you know, and those who
10:29
know know, they they give they give
10:31
credit where credit is due. But poetry,
10:34
you know, it's it's a always say poetry
10:36
is the seed of every song ever written.
10:38
Some poetry is song, some poetry is rap,
10:40
some poetry is spoken. So, I'm a hip hop
10:43
baby, I love hip hop. It's what what
10:45
raised me. Um I grew up listening to
10:48
Slick Rick and LL and Run-DMC and Big
10:50
Daddy Kane and all the greats and MC
10:53
Lyte and Queen Latifah and all the
10:54
greats.
10:55
And Heather B.
10:56
And Heather B, you already know. So,
10:58
like for real for real, like it's it's
11:00
it's an honor to sit here next to you
11:02
and um and to know that that we're part
11:05
of this creative community
11:08
um of storytelling and and making sure
11:11
that that our legacy is being written
11:14
the right way.
11:15
J. Ivy is here, Tariq Trotter is here as
11:18
well.
11:19
How many songs have you sang on?
11:21
Um
11:23
you mean in total for the
11:25
that people may not know.
11:27
Um
11:28
you sang on.
11:29
Well, for Kanye, um I'm probably on 38
11:32
40 songs. For Jay-Z, I'm probably on
11:35
about 200.
11:38
I'm on I'm on about five or six songs
11:40
for John Legend. Pete Rock about five or
11:44
six maybe.
11:45
10
11:46
Okay. Well, she's ain't going to never
11:47
let me down.
11:49
Family Business.
11:52
What's up? Spaceship. Jesus Walks. Can
11:55
you do the Spaceship acapella real
11:57
quick? Let me hear what you did.
12:08
That was just some of those songs.
12:17
Please, please, please sorry. Just in
12:19
the background.
12:22
Please sorry.
12:30
Y'all got it. Hey.
12:32
Hey. Come on. Oh my gosh, show me the
12:34
way.
12:37
Jesus walk with me with me with me with
12:41
me.
12:47
Oh my gosh.
12:48
Come on now. Tyrese Gibson
12:50
I used to with with Kanye and a few
12:53
other artists including Talib and a few
12:56
other people. I would replace the
12:57
samples. So, I was known in the industry
12:59
for the person they could call in to
13:00
replace those samples because I could
13:02
make my voice do you know some of the
13:05
the sounds that they needed so they
13:06
didn't lose the context. So, they wanted
13:08
that sample but they didn't
13:11
chameleon
13:11
So, would would you be in that would you
13:13
be compensated
13:15
as a like how would you be compensated
13:17
like is this a studio session like a
13:19
So, the original idea and I'm going to
13:21
keep it 1,000
13:22
was that I was supposed to be
13:24
compensated in in the return of of favor
13:27
on some occasions. Some occasions I was
13:29
paid for my time and some occasions I
13:31
was paid in the thought of my time. Um
13:34
and
13:35
and I I never received the beats for
13:37
those. So, let me talk a little bit of
13:38
thousand [ __ ]
13:39
Okay.
13:40
That uh I'm still waiting on my beats.
13:42
you beats?
13:43
Uh lot folk owe me beats.
13:45
Pete Rock don't owe you no
13:46
Pete Rock owe me a beat.
13:47
They owe you beats?
13:48
They owe me a lot of beats.
13:50
Uh I'm not I'm not in a negative space
13:52
about it. I'm in a beautiful space about
13:54
it. But, I never received them.
13:56
That's you know.
13:57
then, you know, when you're a singer,
13:59
um I feel like singers don't receive
14:02
um
14:03
you know, we kind of get the
14:05
What do you call it? Like
14:07
end of the song
14:08
you just you just in the studio to to
14:10
make the hook and okay, yeah, you got
14:12
who the hook singer. Nobody Yeah,
14:14
nobody's saying unless you like all the
14:16
way up there and then they'll say, "Oh,
14:17
featuring." But, you don't always get
14:19
the feature and you don't always get the
14:20
mention. You don't always get the credit
14:22
either. And sometime when you write on
14:24
something, you don't get the credit, but
14:25
I didn't want to gossip. I'm just saying
14:27
that the real truth is that singers out
14:29
here are putting in a whole lot in the
14:31
hip in the hip-hop industry and they're
14:33
not being recognized for it. Now, I am
14:35
an advocate for singers and songwriters
14:37
and I do believe we should be credited
14:38
properly.
14:39
And I think they should get writers
14:41
credit because I've seen a lot of times
14:43
in the studio where the singer they'll
14:45
come in and quote-unquote ad-lib and and
14:48
and add something that the original
14:51
artist wasn't even thinking about and it
14:53
stayed on the song. Well, in my world,
14:55
that's a writer's credit because you put
14:57
a word in and you That's it may not be
14:59
50% of the song, but why not take 5% of
15:02
a platinum selling single and vocal
15:05
arrangements. All of those credits add
15:06
up.
15:08
Resume.
15:08
I'm just saying.
15:09
I'm just saying, too. I agree.
15:12
Okay.
15:13
Let me answer your question.
15:16
They owe her beats.
15:17
They owe her beats.
15:18
And bread.
15:19
And credit.
15:20
Come on. Yeah. Preach.
15:21
Let Let me ask you I'm going to jump
15:23
over here today, Ivy.
15:27
Sway was like, "It's not too much."
15:28
No, no, no, not at all.
15:30
We had dinner. We had dinner.
15:32
Yes.
15:32
After We had this round table dinner. I
15:35
wish I could remember the name of the
15:37
restaurant we were at where all the
15:38
Geminis were at the table.
15:40
Wait, it was this in February when you
15:42
crashed their Valentine's Day that I
15:44
yelled at you about?
15:45
No, I didn't crash their Valentine's
15:46
Day. No, this was
15:47
We don't do Valentine's Day.
15:49
Yeah, this was in It was a fraud.
15:51
It was in Ghana.
15:52
Valentine's Day, do you?
15:53
We was in Ga- We were We were in Ghana.
15:56
Yeah, we were having this amazing
15:57
conversation. Do you recall when we all
16:00
went and
16:02
who was there? Mel was there. Everybody
16:03
was there.
16:05
And that's where I really got to know
16:07
who you are. You know, and I hit I think
16:09
I'm about to hit J Ivy. Yes, yeah, okay,
16:12
I get it now.
16:12
No, I said that because in we were in LA
16:15
for Valentine's and I Sway said he was
16:17
going to an event. Remember Remember the
16:19
spoken word?
16:20
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was That was
16:21
a trap poetry. They I invited them.
16:24
I and we yelled at Sway cuz we was like,
16:25
"How you crashing somebody's
16:27
Valentine's?"
16:29
Sway was LIKE, "IT'S NOT ONE OF THOSE
16:30
THINGS. IT WAS A TRAP." SO, THAT'S why
16:32
I'm teasing about. Yeah, it was perfect.
16:34
Cuz we don't, you know,
16:35
do that, yeah.
16:35
Yeah, it's like
16:36
Now, we accused him of being a third
16:38
wheel.
16:38
Oh, no, no, no.
16:39
Not Super Bowl Sway. Not Super Bowl
16:41
Sway. You know, we got
16:42
Well, that Super Bowl had to be Sway
16:44
make a holiday better cuz we I normally
16:47
don't do nothing on that day. Okay.
16:48
They got to get dressed up.
16:50
yeah. You know,
16:51
And then went out.
16:51
Uh Kareem Grimes was with us.
16:55
Lucky Day came, hung out with us. Kurt
16:57
Williamson That's right. Kurt Kurt
16:59
Williamson Kurt Williamson.
17:00
Candace Wright.
17:01
Candace. All right. And
17:02
Y'all had a whole party.
17:03
Justin Cox, who is the creator of trap
17:05
poetry. That's one of my partners, you
17:07
know. We had a really
17:08
Your nephew. What's your nephew's name?
17:10
J Wall was there. He brought his He
17:11
brought his little He brought his team.
17:13
So, my friend Daphne and and we we had a
17:16
a good time. What what is it like now Uh
17:20
being a Grammy Award-winning artist? We
17:22
we hear a lot of stories. I'm trying to
17:23
think of the story.
17:25
I think it was Jaimini
17:27
Ohan su
17:28
Ohan su
17:29
and who talked about
17:31
having
17:32
pay
17:32
pay disparities and even though a lot of
17:35
artists win these awards, you know, even
17:36
when when Monique won her Oscar and and
17:39
it was like, you know, well, where
17:40
where's the accolade? We like the
17:42
accolades, but where's the business?
17:44
Where's the money?
17:45
Mhm.
17:45
Like what is this what happens, you
17:47
know, once you win a Grammy?
17:48
It gets busy.
17:50
Okay.
17:50
gets busy. So,
17:52
phones been ringing, been doing a lot of
17:55
building on deals, a lot of a lot of
17:58
interviews, a lot of um
18:01
planning for the future because the
18:03
doors are now wide open and we want to
18:06
make sure that that we're representing
18:08
the culture correctly, representing
18:10
poets correctly. So, even this tour this
18:12
tour is springboarded from from the
18:15
Grammy win and that's just one example.
18:18
Tonight, City Winery. Tonight, tonight,
18:20
tonight really
18:20
25 11 Street, right off the Hudson.
18:23
Yeah, 25 11th Avenue, Hudson.
18:25
Yeah.
18:26
So,
18:27
Hudson Park.
18:28
Yeah. So,
18:29
but it's it's just been a lot of
18:30
opportunity and it really just shows you
18:32
like the power manifestation. Like you
18:34
can really make your dreams come true.
18:35
So, now that we're at this point it's
18:37
like, okay, what else can we dream up?
18:39
Like what can we what what can we
18:40
create? What doors can we open, you
18:43
know, to make sure that at least for me
18:45
like to make sure that poets worldwide
18:48
have a have an industry and we have an
18:49
infrastructure that that exists where we
18:52
can thrive and and live from what we
18:54
love to do.
18:55
Okay.
18:56
Jay, would you say a lot of the
18:57
opportunities are direct
19:00
from the win from the Grammy or from so
19:02
much work y'all been putting in before
19:04
the Grammys? It seems like, you know,
19:07
that part was like the Yeah, that from
19:09
the Okay, I got you.
19:11
Yeah, yeah. I mean, it's been years, you
19:12
know, this started with you know, on the
19:14
scene in Chicago
19:16
uh to Def Poetry.
19:17
Right.
19:18
that that really kicked up opened the
19:20
door, you know, Stan Lathan coming to
19:22
check me out in LA and give me that
19:24
opportunity. And then that led to
19:27
um to the College Dropout and and Never
19:29
Let Me Down. Shout out to Coodie for for
19:32
hooking that up. And then it went to TV
19:35
and uh just a lot of opportunities. So
19:37
So with the Grammy the Grammy it was it
19:41
was uh
19:42
it was a a beautiful way for people to
19:44
like, "Man, you've been putting in work
19:45
a long time."
19:46
Right.
19:47
Right.
19:47
And we see you. We see you.
19:49
Mhm.
19:50
I'm I'm happy to be seen.
19:52
Mhm.
19:52
And um I'm excited about what's to come
19:54
cuz it it feels like a new beginning.
19:56
Mhm. Who helps you to decide
19:59
what your new rate is going to be?
20:01
Tariq.
20:02
Okay.
20:05
Tariq.
20:06
Yeah, we graduate those rates uh once a
20:08
year or sometimes twice a year just
20:11
based on credibility and and um and
20:14
where and who we're working with and how
20:16
it moves up the ladder.
20:17
As you should.
20:18
Just to make sure the brand is matching
20:20
the quality of service that he's giving.
20:22
But come on, Tariq.
20:22
So we got to move that rate up
20:24
sometimes.
20:25
Yeah, and we're building the team, too.
20:26
And and we got to help people adjust to
20:27
that rate cuz sometimes they be like,
20:29
"But last year." I'm like,
20:31
Yesterday's price
20:33
is not today's price.
20:34
That's what I had to say at first.
20:35
Yep.
20:37
I should have got paid.
20:38
It was stolen.
20:40
Period.
20:40
Come on, man.
20:41
It was stolen.
20:42
I believe
20:42
It was a singer in the studio.
20:43
Yeah, I was a singer in the studio, got
20:45
jacked.
20:46
And when I watch URL, right, with with
20:48
Smack and shout out to Smack, man, that
20:50
brother has done excellent with his
20:52
legacy from the Smack DVDs, URL, and all
20:55
the different things they do.
20:57
Um and I and I watch how these rappers
21:00
project and present their verses.
21:03
Mhm.
21:03
I it it it's different from being on a
21:05
song, but it's to me it's not much
21:07
different from spoken word.
21:09
Yeah.
21:10
What are your thoughts on that?
21:12
Man, my thoughts is is
21:15
be original, be free with your with your
21:17
with your gift. Like for me, I always
21:19
wanted I'm I'm I'm a
21:21
uh
21:22
I'm a I come from a family of music. My
21:24
pops was a DJ. I told you this before my
21:27
pops did radio. And he was a musician
21:30
and and my uncle was a musician. So for
21:31
me
21:32
uh music has always been a part of who I
21:35
am. So when it comes to me presenting my
21:38
poetry, I knew the music would have an
21:39
opportunity to take it further. I can
21:42
give you the verse like like even with
21:43
running, it's it's one thing for me to
21:45
give you the verse and it the words in
21:47
themselves are dynamic, but then if I
21:50
had an opportunity to rock with John
21:51
Legend and Slick Rick and verse and
21:54
excel and we create something um
21:57
special, I feel like that would take
21:58
that message and those words even
22:00
further. So I I man, I always tell
22:04
anybody, man, just just be free with
22:06
with what it is you do cuz you know,
22:08
once you become
22:09
once you start overthinking the process
22:11
or once you
22:13
get locked in and and start sounding
22:15
like other folk, you not being true to
22:18
who you are and and and the potential
22:20
where that art can go.
22:21
Do you think the format when you see URL
22:24
and you see these different rappers
22:25
battling, no a cappella, right? Do you
22:28
not think it's similar to spoken word?
22:30
Oh yeah, no, it's similar.
22:32
Is it the same thing? Like could their
22:33
verses be considered spoken word?
22:36
I think I think it's you have something
22:38
I heard the the gas, but I think it's um
22:41
they first cousins. I mean, it's still
22:43
it's it's rap. It's rap. But the
22:46
presentation is that of spoken word.
22:49
Okay.
22:50
It's the cadence, too. Because
22:53
whereas rap follows a beat, whether it
22:56
has music behind it or not, I think that
22:57
poets don't have to have a beat.
22:59
Um and they can still it's still you can
23:01
still hear the rhythm in it, but it
23:03
still doesn't need a beat. It doesn't
23:04
have to have a
23:06
a set, you know, format.
23:07
So, can spoken word be very competitive?
23:10
Cuz you know how rap is always being
23:12
compared to sports, you know what I'm
23:14
saying? And obviously, we've seen so
23:16
many legendary battles over the years.
23:19
Is there more camaraderie or competition
23:21
when it comes to the spoken word
23:22
community?
23:22
I think it's competitive in the sense of
23:25
like we're we're comp- competing against
23:27
greatness. Like it's not it's not I'm
23:30
necessarily competing against you. So,
23:32
if if I hear my brother Amir Sulaiman do
23:34
a poem
23:35
Ooh, he came up here and made it put us
23:37
in tears.
23:37
Yeah.
23:38
I'm sorry. I got excited.
23:40
Man, I'm not I'm not competing against
23:42
Amir, but I am very much inspired by
23:45
Amir cuz he is a force. And when it
23:48
comes to my art, I want to be a force as
23:51
well. So, when you have poets like
23:54
Ursula Rucker and Sunny Patterson and
23:57
Mary Hartwell and Lemon Anderson, Black
24:00
Ice Uh, Jessica Care Moore Um, Reyna
24:05
Storm, Georgia Me, Abyss, when you have
24:07
when you have these incredible poets,
24:09
Kay Love, Emerald Green, Harold Green,
24:11
like we we are
24:13
it's a it's more of a family.
24:15
Yeah.
24:15
It's more of a fam- I'm inspired I want
24:17
I want to see everybody win.
24:19
Word.
24:19
You know, so the goal is to is to
24:23
continue to create, be great, and then
24:25
when I see other greatness, I'mma
24:27
applaud that. I'mma cheer that on. But,
24:29
I'm also being inspired. I'm not going
24:31
to bite, but I'mma be like, "Yo, I'm Yo,
24:34
you coming with I'm coming with it,
24:36
too."
24:36
Mhm. But, there's a lot of biting.
24:39
In the poetry, there's a lot of biting,
24:41
though. I mean, it's in anything.
24:43
Cuz you know, people copy people's
24:45
style.
24:45
Yeah, they do it all the time.
24:46
And it becomes the format. Like and so,
24:48
everybody could
24:49
It's a sound.
24:50
It's a sound, right?
24:51
Yeah, there's a sound.
24:52
Yeah, people people bite, people borrow
24:54
and don't give back.
24:55
And don't pay.
24:57
So, do So, is there any cup of sugar?
24:59
Is there any such thing as ghost writing
25:01
in spoken word? Can Are there people who
25:04
getting in like a lot of credit cuz in
25:07
hip hop there's these lists.
25:09
Yeah.
25:10
And you're like, well, they didn't
25:11
write. They just didn't write whatever,
25:13
but they're the greatest.
25:15
Is that
25:16
Is that Does that work in spoken word?
25:18
I mean
25:21
Baby, you want to comment on that?
25:22
I mean I I would imagine I would imagine
25:24
that there there may be some, but I
25:27
think when it comes to poets like poets
25:29
are one is it's a
25:31
it's it's a a sport a art of you being
25:35
you and you being original to who you
25:37
are. So, to have somebody else write for
25:40
you
25:41
I never really seen that unless it's a
25:43
poet writing a song for somebody.
25:45
That's why I think spoken word is
25:47
different than hip hop.
25:48
Okay.
25:49
In my opinion. That's the biggest
25:50
difference because I've never heard it
25:52
either. I've never heard of a ghost
25:54
writing in the spoken word. When when
25:56
another poet says this person is dope
25:59
and I'm inspired it's like you don't
26:01
hear the shits like you do in hip hop.
26:03
You know what I mean? And I think that's
26:05
what separates y'all. Like it's just
26:07
this person cuz hip hop was built on
26:09
that. You thought that everybody was
26:11
telling their truth and writing their
26:13
[ __ ] and doing their thing, but then you
26:15
find out otherwise. So, kudos to y'all
26:18
for that [ __ ]
26:20
Can you do a spoken word versus?
26:23
Absolutely.
26:24
Yeah.
26:24
Why not?
26:25
Why not?
26:26
Why not? Create it.
26:27
You're Swiss. What's up?
26:30
Interesting, right?
26:31
Let's get that cracking.
26:32
Poetry
26:34
is like a a quilt. It's tied to
26:35
literature and and in the academia
26:37
world. So, you got this whole, you know,
26:40
family of ideas that's rolling, but you
26:42
can't roll if it's not authored by
26:44
somebody and that author usually carries
26:46
that spoken word more.
26:48
So, it's hard to be a ghost writer in in
26:50
area.
26:51
If you do it
26:53
I would assume that would be considered
26:54
plagiarism.
26:56
Because it's it's it's connected to
26:58
literature, too.
26:59
I have had lines bitten before.
27:01
Oh, yeah, they also did that.
27:02
Yeah.
27:02
Like what lines have you gotten bitten?
27:05
Yeah.
27:06
Tell me what lines.
27:07
What was this line? I had this line um
27:11
It was it was something about Master P.
27:14
Oh, man, how did that line It was in
27:16
this poem I got called Transformation
27:18
and say something na na na na
27:21
Something I forget the line, but I heard
27:23
it in somebody else's poem one time.
27:25
Who did you hear? Whose poem was it?
27:27
You're being messy. You're You're
27:28
starting a spoken word poetry beef.
27:30
I'm just curious, man.
27:34
There's no spoken word poetry beef.
27:36
Let me think where I heard it.
27:37
So, you can't So, they didn't do it in a
27:39
way to like give credit to you like
27:41
no, it was it was the it was the same
27:44
like I have a poem called I Need to
27:46
Write.
27:46
Yeah.
27:47
And
27:47
like a lot of people have taken my poem.
27:50
I Need to Write is I did it on Def
27:51
Poetry. It was the first season. And
27:54
I definitely have seen people take that
27:56
poem.
27:57
In Rwanda.
27:58
And and and do their own version of it.
28:00
You know, I've been I was sitting right
28:02
there one time when when my guy did it.
28:04
I'm like, "Bro, I'm about to do
28:07
my poem I Need to Write."
28:08
my guy.
28:09
And and he my guy was on stage doing I
28:12
Need to Write and I'm like, "Bro,
28:14
That's my poem."
28:15
He did your poem in front of you?
28:17
his own version of
28:19
even credit you.
28:19
But, yeah.
28:20
He did it as if it was his own.
28:22
What was that convo like after?
28:24
Oh, man, you inspired me, man. You know,
28:25
I love I Need to Write. You know, I'll
28:27
be doing it at shows. And I was
28:29
Oh, yeah.
28:29
plural
28:30
shows
28:31
It's Yeah, so it's you know,
28:33
It's a smile and nod moment, though,
28:35
because
28:35
So, I guess it I guess back to have the
28:37
question, I guess it does happen.
28:39
Yeah.
28:41
Who was your guy?
28:42
Uh
28:43
uh uh uh uh
28:44
And is that still your guy?
28:47
That's the real question.
28:48
I'm rooting them on. I'm rooting them
28:49
on.
28:50
Just don't do I need to write cuz that's
28:52
me.
28:52
That's you.
28:53
Damn.
28:53
But at the same time though, you know,
28:55
people do phenomenal woman all the time.
28:56
People have have done Never Let Me Down
28:59
all the time. But usually people give
29:00
credit. Like when you doing somebody
29:01
else's poem, they'll say this is a poem
29:04
by J. Ivy. I've seen it at graduations.
29:06
I've seen it all over the place, you
29:08
know, so I guess it's it's a
29:12
it's a
29:15
It's a compliment, really. It's a
29:16
compliment that somebody would
29:18
No. Get off that. Get off that.
29:20
Take the low road. Take the low road.
29:21
You a Grammy Award winning
29:22
Take the low road. It's cool.
29:23
HEY JAY. JAY.
29:25
YOU GOT THE GRAMMY. You don't have to be
29:26
scared no more.
29:27
Hey man, y'all
29:28
You got to treat people kind though
29:30
because maybe they just didn't have the
29:32
right information for the
29:34
The thing about it to me is like the
29:36
person that created it knows though.
29:39
Like how you sitting here acting like I
29:41
didn't say that. Like you not going to
29:43
give me no credit. Somebody should say
29:46
J. Ivy or I heard so-and-so say this,
29:48
you know, and give them the credit.
29:50
on etiquette.
29:51
Yeah.
29:51
Yeah, a nudge on etiquette, y'all.
29:53
Yeah.
29:54
That's why you there and
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