I’m beyond proud to announce that my latest album, CATCHING DREAMS: Live at Fort Knox Chicago has been nominated for a GRAMMY in the category for Best Spoken Word Album. This is huge for the culture. This is huge for poetry. I can’t begin to tell you how honored I am, not only for the album to be recognized, but also to stand next to so much Black Excellence…the nominees include: Levar Burton, Don Cheadle, Dave Chappelle, Amir Sulaiman, and President Barack Obama. GOD is GREAT!!! Thank you so much to everyone who has supported the album, thank you to the Recording Academy, and everyone who voted. WOW!!!
Never Let Me Down!!
40,000,000!! Much Love #KanyeWest #JayZ #JohnLegend #TarreyTorae and #CoodieSimmons…We Made History!!!
Catching Dreams: Live at Fort Knox
We had to bring the band out!! In February of 2021 I got some of my favorite musicians to come out to Fort Knox Chicago, where we filmed and recorded a special installment of my album, “Catching Dreams.” The night was magical and I can’t wait to share it with you. For the LIVE album, CLICK HERE to pre-save a link for your playlist. The show, which was filmed by Emmy Winning Director Cam Be, is coming soon…MUCH Love!!
SPOKEN WORD: J. IVY
LEAD VOCALS: TARREY TORAE
KEYS: TERRY PATRICK JR.
GUITAR: MIKE GALLAGHER
SAX: IRVIN PIERCE
TRUMPET: MAURICE BROWN
DRUMS: BRANDON COLLINS
BASS: RUNERE BROOKS
KEYS: CHRIS ROB
VOCALS: MUNYAKAZI DEO, RELL, YAW
STRINGS: EDITH YOKLEY
WE ROCKING IN BROOKLYN!!
New York City! BROOKLYN!! Come on out next week for my first performance in NY. And I’m bringing the band. CLICK HERE for tickets. Maurice Brown presents: J. Ivy
FOR YOUR GRAMMY CONSIDERATION
SO PROUD to announce that my new album CATCHING DREAMS is now up for GRAMMY Consideration for BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM. Thank you Billboard Magazine for the LOVE!! If you haven’t heard the album it is streaming on all major platforms. CLICK HERE for direct links. BIG thank you to everyone for showing so much love and support. It means a lot to hear you’re rocking with it. Prayers UP! Fingers crossed! LET’S GO!!
CATCHING DREAMS
This journey is an experience that is taken for granted at times and at others we make the most of it. For me, poetry has been the vehicle that has driven me to unimaginable possibilities. Each place, each person, each smile that it has led me to has been a gift that I will forever treasure. This collection of art is a reflection of my appreciation. Collectively, myself and some of the world’s most amazing creatives, set out to create a body of love. With all that’s going on in the world, I have questioned if this was a good time to share a piece of my heart. But what experience has taught me, is that the world needs an abundance of love. My prayer, my wish, and my hope is that this may serve as another reminder of the love we were put here to learn, share, and grow from. I love you all. I thank you for taking the time to listen. I really look forward to hearing what you think. Special Thanks to all those that contributed to Catching Dreams: Tarrey Torae, Aaron JT Richardson, Marshall Knights, Brady Watt, Doug Fitch, Munyakazi Deo, 1key, Maurice Brown, Ben Williams, Leonardo Nunez, Eddie Krauger, Brandon Collins, Rell, Edith Yokely, Ahmande Grimes, Mechalie Jamison, Jeff Lane, Jeff Piper, Mike Gallagher, Andrei Chaine, James Sanders, Burney Brown, Mike Williams, Swiss Chris, Yaw Agyeman, Chris Rob, and to all the cities where it was created: Chicago, IL, Atlanta, GA, Nashville, TN, Harlem, NY, Kigali, Rwanda, Brooklyn, NY, London, UK, Manhattan, NY, Los Angeles, CA, Richton Park, IL and Orland Park, IL.
Much, Much LOVE!!
J. Ivy
CATCHING DREAMS
I’m so proud and excited to announce that my 4th #album, #CatchingDreams, will be available in one week. I can’t wait to share this experience of #poetry and music with you. Can’t wait!! #poet #spokenword #poetryalbum #poetrycommunity #chicago #music
The Spoken Word
Today join us for the Recording Academy / GRAMMYs first ever #poetry event #TheSpokenWord featuring some of the most dynamic #poets on the planet!! CLICK HERE TO JOIN!!
J. Ivy on GRAMMY.com
To read this article PLEASE CLICK HERE.
The WORD w/ J. Ivy ft. Deon Cole
TUNE IN TOMORROW for The WORD with J. Ivy featuring Super Star Comedian and Actor Deon Cole!!
The WORD w/ J. Ivy
This week on The WORD we’ll be featuring GRAMMY Award Winner, Estelle!! Join us at 7pm CST on @j_ivy’s Instagram Live.
Grey matter
#theWORD w/ J. Ivy ft. Chris Rob
Episode 3 of #theWORD w/ J. Ivy features musician extraordinaire Chris Rob.
#theWORD w/ J. Ivy ft. Jessica Care Moore
Episode 2 of #theWORD w/ J. Ivy features Award Winning Poet & Author Jessica Care Moore.
The WORD with J. Ivy
I’ve been wanting to kick off this series and what better time than the first day of #NationalPoetryMonth. Tune in to #TheWORD w/ J. Ivy every Wednesday at 7pm CST for Poetry & Conversation on my IG Live. For the first episode we’ll be featuring Award Winning Filmmaker @coodierock! After that we’re heading on over to #APT to kick it with @richmedina...
Share the LOVE, Spread the WORD!!
#PoetryandConversation #poet #poetry #spokenword #director #writer #dj #music by @skibeatz #photo by @a.a.media
#theWORD w/ J. Ivy ft. Coodie Simmons
The first episode of #theWORD w/ J. Ivy features Award Winning Filmmaker, Director, Writer and Producer Coodie Simmons.
NAACP Image Award Nomination
It was an UNBELIEVABLE HONOR to have the opportunity to work and pay homage to one of my heroes and biggest inspirations, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It was an absolute joy working on this film. The research, the writing, rehearsing, acting, and building with my brothers and directors of this film, Coodie & Chike, took me several places spiritually and mentally.
While you’re in that creative space, the zone doesn’t allow you to think pass the moment, but to finish, see the film air on B.E.T., and get a GREAT response was AMAZING, but to add on to that with a NAACP Image Award Nomination was incredible. I love being able to do the work that I do. I thank my guys for always believing in me and pushing me to do more. We didn’t get to bring the award home, but after winning an Image Award in 2016 for our “Muhammad Ali: The People’s Champ” documentary, my dream is that there will be more. Thank You Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for giving us the opportunity to dream and build on your legacy. MUCH LOVE!!
Anthony Anderson, J. Ivy, Chike Ozah, Deon Cole, Coodie Simmons, and J.B. Smoove at the Image Awards Afterparty.
Here's to the History Shakers!
Super proud to be the poet and voice of this amazing Coca-Cola commercial. Let this be a token to all the History Shakers out there in the world.
SPECIAL Thanks!!
Man it’s TRULY a blessing to be able to work within your gift, with amazingly gifted people you love, in efforts to put together a project for one of your heroes. When @coodie_n_chike hit me up about writing and playing a role that would allow us to pay homage to #DrMartinLutherKingJr it was jaw dropping. It brought everything around full circle from my days at @richcentralhs where I would study and perform pieces for our #MartinLutherKingJr assemblies. Now he we were prepping, researching, and grinding it out to prepare a film in honor of his 90th birthday. GOD is so good!! Thanks to my brothers Coodie Simmons & Chike Ozah for always believing in me, to the most amazing wife ever @tarreytorae for all the work you do behind the scenes and the beautiful energy you constantly pour into me, to @iammakeda519 for holding us down while producing this film, to the @ncrmuseum for allowing us to film on the balcony of the #LorraineMotel, to @thefirehousetheatre for welcoming us to film the stage play, and to @bet and the #King family for trusting us to create something that would pay tribute to this icon and trailblazer. Thanks so much to everyone who watched and who hit us up to show love for #Martin#LegacyOfAKing! Your support means the world. Thank you #MartinLutherKing for all that you have done for us. You broke down amazing doors that still allow us great opportunities like these. We LOVE YOU!! Check out the wrap video and some of the pics from behind the scenes below. Big S/O to @citizenchance @chrisrobonline for doing an AMAZING job with the music. If you missed it you can WATCH IT HERE AT THIS LINK. MUCH LOVE!!
#MLK #catchingblessings #documentary #narrator #actor #poet#education #school #civilrights
MARTIN: The Legacy of a KING
Tonight is the night! Be sure to tune in to B.E.T. tonight for the premier of “MARTIN: The LEGACY of a KING,” directed by Coodie & Chike. I had the distinct honor of writing, narrating, and acting in this film and I can’t began to tell you how moved I was to be able to pay homage to one of my heroes, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Please take the time to share in this story and by all means, let’s continue to strive to walk in Dr. King’s footsteps, who has afforded opportunities that we may not have seen without his relentless work and sacrifice. Thank you Dr. King! May God Bless your beautiful soul!!