J. Ivy
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J. Ivy (born March 3, 1976) is an American performance poet,
spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
artist, songwriter, and author. He is a three-time HBO Def Poet and is known for his performance on
Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
’s
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
winning debut album ''
The College Dropout ''The College Dropout'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Def Jam Recordings and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records. In the years leading up to release, West had received pr ...
'', which featured him on the song "Never Let Me Down" along with Jay-Z. He received an NAACP Image Award for his writing and on-camera narration of the
BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
documentary '' Muhammad Ali: The People's Champ''.


Early life

J. Ivy was born March 3, 1976 as James Ivy Richardson II in Chicago, Illinois to James Ivy Richardson Sr. and Pamela Richardson. His father was a Disc Jockey and On-Air Personality, who went by the name Jim Richards. Jim Richards' highlights included hosting the morning hour show on Chicago's popular radio station
WVON WVON (1690 AM "The Voice of the Nation", originally "Voice of the Negro") is a radio station serving the Chicago market, which airs an African-American-oriented talk format. WVON is owned by Midway Broadcasting Corporation, and broadcasts at 1 ...
, and his mother was a registered nurse. J. Ivy grew up on Chicago's South side with his family until the age of 14 before moving to the South Suburbs of Chicago, where he attended
Rich Central High School Rich Township High School STEM Campus, formerly Rich Central High School, is a public four-year high school in the south suburbs of Chicago, located in Olympia Fields, Illinois. The Campus serves portions of Chicago Heights, Country Club Hills, M ...
. Ivy discovered his poetry talent during his junior year when his English teacher asked him to perform a piece he had written for a routine homework assignment. He performed in front of the student body and received a standing ovation. J. was heavily influenced by his mother, who supported his budding talent by encouraging him to continue writing and publish his burgeoning body of work. After his successful school performance, J took his poetry passion as a serious hobby and began regularly writing and performing well into his college years.


Music career

J. Ivy attended
Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
, where he became known on campus as "The Poet" and delved deeper into the art form. After college, J. Ivy returned to Chicago and frequently performed on the local arts circuit. As his popularity grew, J. Ivy was featured several times on Chicago's WGCI radio station and later became the host of "Rituals," (from 1997 to 2000) the most popular poetry night in Chicago and perhaps the nation at that time. He was eventually asked to come on Russell Simmons' HBO
Def Poetry ''Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry'', better known as simply ''Def Poetry Jam'' or ''Def Poetry'', is a spoken word poetry television series hosted by Mos Def and airing on HBO between 2002 and 2007. The series features performances by estab ...
Jam. He received a standing ovation for his performance of "I Need to Write" and was invited back for two encore appearances in later seasons where he performed his signature poems "Dear Father" and "Never Let Me Down." Fellow Chicagoan Kanye West heard about J. Ivy from mutual friends while he was working on his debut album ''The College Dropout'' for
Roc-A-Fella Records Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. History 1994–2000: Formation ...
. He contacted Ivy and offered him the opportunity to be on the song, "
Never Let Me Down ''Never Let Me Down'' is the 17th studio album by English musician David Bowie, released on 20 April 1987 through EMI America Records. After a series of miscellaneous projects, Bowie hoped to make his next record differently following his ...
" which also featured Jay-Z. The College Dropout album earned a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The night J. Ivy recorded his verse on "Never Let Me Down," he heard music from a singer named John Stephens. J. Ivy was so inspired by John's music that he began to call him
John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...
. J. Ivy is also featured in the first episode of the Kanye three part documentary Jeen-yuhs. His distinct hip-hop poetic style caught the attention of many who were not accustomed to hearing poetry incorporated into music in this manner which led him to collaborating with many artists including John Legend, Estelle, Slum Village, Maurice Brown,
Smoke DZA Sean Pompey (born February 8, 1984), better known by his stage name Smoke DZA, is an American rapper and songwriter. Biography 1984–2007: Early life and career beginnings Smoke DZA was born February 8, 1984 at Harlem Hospital in New York ...
, and more. On October 26, 2010, J. Ivy released his second studio album "HERE I AM", which features guest artists
Abiodun Oyewole Abiodun Oyewole (born Charles Davis, February 1948), is a poet, teacher and member of the African-American music and spoken-word group The Last Poets, which developed into what is considered to be the first hip hop group. Critic Jason Ankeny ...
of
The Last Poets The Last Poets are several groups of poets and musicians who arose from the late 1960s African-American civil rights movement's black nationalism. The name is taken from a poem by the South African revolutionary poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, who bel ...
,
Jessica Care Moore Jessica Care Moore (born October 28, 1971) is an American poet. She is the CEO of Moore Black Press, executive producer of BLACK WOMEN ROCK!, and founder of the literacy-driven jess Care moore Foundation. An internationally renowned poet, playwri ...
,
Jesse Boykins III Jesse Boykins III (born February 20, 1985) is a Jamaican-American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Chicago, Illinois. Career Boykins is a world soul artist originally from Jamaica, later relocating to Miami and finally Brooklyn. H ...
,
Blitz the Ambassador Blitz, German for "lightning", may refer to: Military uses *Blitzkrieg, blitz campaign, or blitz, a type of military campaign *The Blitz, the German aerial campaign against Britain in the Second World War *, an Imperial German Navy light cruiser b ...
,
Chris Rob Chris Rob, born Christopher Robinson, is an American musician, originally from Chicago, Illinois, who currently resides in Brooklyn, New York. Rob, the younger brother of actor, comedian, and musician Craig Robinson, attended Roosevelt Univer ...
, Amanda Seales, Mikkey Halsted, and more. In 2014 J. Ivy released a mixtape titled, "Diggin' in the Papes Vol.1", which features a host of collaborative records Ivy has created with Hip-Hop artist and producers like Crooked I, The Cool Kids, Ski Beatz, Slum Village, Carl Thomas, Tall Black Guy, and more. In 2017 J. Ivy released his third studio album, "My Daddy's Records", an album created for his book "Dear Father: Breaking the Cycle of Pain." J. Ivy is currently the Chicago Chapter President of the
Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...
and is the first Spoken-Word Artist to hold a Chapter President seat in the history of the Recording Academy.


Literary career

In 2012, J. Ivy followed up his album "HERE I AM" with the release of his book "HERE I AM: Then & Now," a compilation of the album's lyrics, stories regarding the inspiration for the album, and additional poetry. In January 2014 J. Ivy inked a book deal with
Beyond Words Publishing Beyond Words Publishing is a book publishing company located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1983, the company was unprofitable in its early years, though its works were award-winning. The privately owned company focuses on non-fict ...
, an imprint of Atria Books &
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest pu ...
, for the January 2015 release of his new book "Dear Father: Breaking the Cycle of Pain", which is based on J. Ivy's poem "Dear Father" (as seen on HBO Def Poetry).


Ad campaigns

In addition to his voice, Ivy has been a featured in numerous ads and served as a spokesperson for national corporate initiatives. He has been a model for both
Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...
and LRG’s national print-ads as well as a spokesperson for Ford Urban.com alongside Tarrey Torae, Rocsi from
BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
's ''
106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rate ...
'' and MTV’s VJ
Sway Calloway Sway Calloway is an American journalist, radio personality, executive producer and former rapper. Known as Sway, he is known for hosting music, news, and culture programming. He was the co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show ''The Wake U ...
.


Voice overs

J. Ivy was the sole voice and face in
Verizon Verizon Communications Inc., commonly known as Verizon, is an American multinational telecommunications conglomerate and a corporate component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The company is headquartered at 1095 Avenue of the Americas ...
’s History in the Making Campaign, which earned him a Gold Clio Award for the campaign's commercial, which was shown in movie theaters nationwide. This campaign was directed by Bob Giraldi, who directed
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
's " Beat It." J. Ivy's musical endorsements have also included extensive work with
Allstate Insurance The Allstate Corporation is an American insurance company, headquartered in Northfield Township, Illinois, near Northbrook since 1967. Founded in 1931 as part of Sears, Roebuck and Co., it was spun off in 1993 but still partially owned by S ...
’s Beyond February initiative. J. Ivy's voice has also been heard on 2013 Benjamin Moore & Co. Paint Commercial, 2013–15 Nissan Commercials,
HBO Boxing ''HBO World Championship Boxing'' (in later years stylized in its title card as ''HBO Boxing – World Championship'') was an American sports television series on premium television network HBO. It premiered on January 22, 1973 with a fight that ...
,
Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, A ...
,
CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...
, MTV’s Who's Got Game, and in the 2009 and 2011 NFL seasons, he was featured on the introduction for the entire season of
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
’s Sunday Night Football alongside
Faith Hill Audrey Faith McGraw (; born September 21, 1967), known professionally as Faith Hill, is an American singer and actress. She is one of the most successful country music artists of all time, having sold more than 40 million albums worldwide. Hill' ...
.


Charity and community involvement

J. Ivy supports programs that bring arts into the school system. He is a regular performer in
Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the third-largest school district in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles. ...
. J. Ivy was a guest speaker/performer at Deepak Chopra's 2012 Annual Sages & Scientists Symposium and was the official MC for the 2013 & 2014 edition. Additionally, J. Ivy has conducted poetry workshops and given performances for
Reading Is Fundamental Reading Is Fundamental, Inc. (RIF) is the oldest and largest non-profit children's literacy organization in the United States. RIF provides books (print and digital) and reading resources to children nationwide with supporting literacy resourc ...
, The Kanye West Foundation, and
Steve Harvey Broderick Stephen Harvey Sr. Also aired August 16, 2015. (born January 17, 1957) is an American television host, producer, actor, and comedian. He hosts '' The Steve Harvey Morning Show'', '' Family Feud'', ''Celebrity Family Feud,'' the Miss ...
's Mentoring Camp For Young Men, where he presented his Dear Father Initiative, which teaches the power of forgiveness and promotes social emotional healing through the exercise of writing and journaling.


Film and television appearances

J. Ivy has appeared on many programs and series, including: '' ER'', ''
The Martha Stewart Show ''Martha'', also known as ''The Martha Stewart Show'', is an American cooking show hosted by Martha Stewart. The series premiered on September 12, 2005, in syndication until it was picked up by the Hallmark Channel in September 2010 as part of a l ...
'', ABC's '' BCS Selection Show'', ABC's '' All-America Team Show'', ABC's '' FedEx Orange Bowl Championship Game'', ABC's ''Monday Night Football'', ABC's '' NBA Finals'', Russell Simmons' ''Def Poetry Jam'' on HBO, HBO's '' Bob Costas Now'', ''HBO Boxing'', MTV's Who's Got Game, MTV's 2004 New Year's Eve Bash (2004), MTV's
Black History Month Black History Month is an annual observance originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It has received official recognition from governments in the United States and Canada, and more recently ...
Special (2004), MTV's'' My Block'',
VH-1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communi ...
's ''Best Year Ever'' (2005), B.E.T.'s ''Lyric Café'', BET's ''Black Carpet Series'', B.E.T.'s ''
Harlem Nights ''Harlem Nights'' is a 1989 American crime comedy-drama film starring and directed by Eddie Murphy, who also wrote. The film co-stars Richard Pryor, Michael Lerner, Danny Aiello, Redd Foxx (in his last film appearance before his death in 1991) ...
'', the independent film, ''Backstabbers'' (1999),
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
's 2015 Scripps National Spelling Bee, and B.E.T.'s "Ali: The People's Champ, which won a NAACP Image Award. In 2018 Ivy's national T.V. commercial for AARP premiered on Super Bowl Sunday during the episode of
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
's
This Is Us ''This Is Us'' is an American family drama television series that aired on NBC from September 20, 2016, to May 24, 2022. The series follows the lives and families of two parents, and their three children, in several different time frames. It s ...
and has run through 2019. In January of 2019 J. Ivy wrote for, starred in, and narrated B.E.T.'s documentary "Martin: The Legacy of a King." He was also featured in Episode 1 of
AMC AMC may refer to: Film and television * AMC Theatres, an American movie theater chain * AMC Networks, an American entertainment company ** AMC (TV channel) ** AMC+, streaming service ** AMC Networks International, an entertainment company *** ...
'

"Hip-Hop: The Songs that Shook America."


Personal life

After dating for six years, J. Ivy married singer-songwriter Tarrey Torae, on September 4, 2005, in Chicago, Illinois.


Discography


Studio albums

* ''Here I Am'' (2010) * ''My Daddy's Records'' (2017) * ''Catching Dreams'' (2020) * ''The Poet who sat by the Door'' (2022)


Live albums

* ''Catching Dreams: Live at Fort Knox Chicago'' (2021)


The Poet Who Sat By The Door (Album)

''The Poet Who Sat By The Door'' is the sixth album of American
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...
,
spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
artist, actor and songwriter J. Ivy. It was released on September 30, 2022, by Word & Soul, LLC. The album was nominated for a GRAMMY in the Best Spoken Word Poetry Album in 2022. The album features collaborations with artists such as multi-award winning singer and songwriter
John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...
, rapper Slick Rick The Ruler,
PJ Morton P.J. Morton (born Paul Morton Jr.; March 29, 1981) is an American Grammy winning musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Since 2012, he has been one of the keyboardists, alongside Jesse Carmichael, for the pop rock band Maroon 5. Mor ...
,
Ledisi Ledisi Anibade Young (; born March 28, 1972), better known simply as Ledisi, is an American R&B and jazz recording artist, songwriter, music producer, author and actress. Her name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba. Ledisi AllMus ...
, Sir the Baptist, Deon Cole, singer-songwriter and co-executive producer Tarrey Torae, BJ the Chicago Kid,
Ursula Rucker Ursula Rucker is an American spoken word recording artist. Rucker is known for a diverse repertoire, and for using techniques that catch her listeners' attention. Biography Rucker was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she wa ...
,
Omari Hardwick Omari Latif Hardwick (born January 9, 1974) is an American actor known for his starring role as James "Ghost" St. Patrick, the protagonist of Starz's ''Power'' and his role as Vanderohe in Zack Snyder's ''Army of the Dead'' (2021). He is also kn ...
, Yaw,
Musiq Soulchild Taalib Hassan Johnson (born September 16, 1977), better known by the stage name Musiq Soulchild or simply Musiq (pronounced "music") is an American singer and songwriter whose style blends R&B, funk, blues, jazz, and gospel influences fused w ...
, Sunni Patterson, Verse, and
Abiodun Oyewole Abiodun Oyewole (born Charles Davis, February 1948), is a poet, teacher and member of the African-American music and spoken-word group The Last Poets, which developed into what is considered to be the first hip hop group. Critic Jason Ankeny ...
. Ivy made ''The Poet Who Sat By The Door'' to promote his art form of poetry and the spoken word. The album's music and messages include recurring themes of endurance, love, passion, oppression, inspiration, faith and healing. In an studio interview on WGN Channel 9's live morning show, ''Daytime Chicago'', Ivy explains how he recorded ''The Poet Who Sat By The Door'' in two months after spending two years working on Emmy nominated
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
documentary ''jeen-yuhs: A Kanye West Trilogy'', and while leading the push for the new Best Spoken Word Poetry Album category with the
Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...
. Ivy also tells the story of how he gave John Stephens (a.k.a.
John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...
) his stage name. Executive Producers: J. Ivy, Tarrey Torae, Harvey Mason Jr., Sir the Baptist, Juan Woodbury. Album Producers: J. Ivy, Tarrey Torae, Sir the Baptist, Juan Woodbury, Om’Mas Keith, Maurice Brown, Marshall Knights Producers: J. Ivy, Tarrey Torae, Greg “G Ball” Magers, Sir the Baptist, Prof. Larry Jenkins, Xcelence, Maurice Brown, Seauxgood, Tensei, Bryan Abraham, Kris Myers, Nicole Neely, JT Rich, Marshall Knights, PJ Morton, Juan Woodbury aka Mr. Takumoto, Daniel Haney Brunelle, Om’Mas Keith. Associate Producer: Ken Rose. Engineers: Greg “G Ball” Magers, Joshua Keith, Claudio Barrella, Eric Bogacz, Eric Lau, Jason Cesario, Kenta Yonesaka, Scott “Robot Scott” Carter, Izzy San, Ty Caughell, Rex Rideout. Mixers: Greg “G Ball” Magers mixed the entire album with exception of Vibrations II, which was mixed by Eric Lau and Greg Magers. Additional mixing by Ryan Hewitt. Songwriters: James Ivy Richardson II, Tarrey Torae Richardson, Sir William Baptist, Abiodun Oyewole, John Stephens, Ricky M.L. Walters, Zebadiah Anderson, Derrick Chambers Logan, Ursula Rucker, Omari Hardwick, Bryan Sledge, Taalib Hassan Johnson, Ledisi. Record Label: Word & Soul, LLC. The official release date of ''The Poet Who Sat By The Door'' is September 30, 2022.


Album Track Listing

The Poet Who Sat By The Door (2022)


References




External links


Screamingwoman.comRogerroberts.netOfficial website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ivy, J. American spoken word artists Writers from Chicago 1976 births Living people