HYPED to be a part of this one!! Today make sure y'all grab @officialslumvillage @SlumVillage's new album #YES ft @black_milk @illaj @Bilal @BJTHECHICAGOKID @T3sv @IamthePHIFER and Yours Truly all produced by the LEGENDARY J DILLA!! #HipHop #NewMusic #Detroit #Chicago #Philadelphia
Steve Harvey Mentoring Camp
This past weekend I had the honor of speaking at @iamSteveHarvey's Mentoring Program for Young Men #SMHF #SHMP in #Dallas #Texas... I can't even begin to tell you how moving and transformative this camp was!! I've never seen 125 young men, amazing young men who have been troubled by their pain, turn around so fast. I had a chance to speak to them and perform for them. I had the opportunity to tell them about #DearFather #BreakingTheCycleOfPain and the #PowerOfForgiveness...emotions poured out, men, great men from the @USArmy, speakers, mentors, and leaders from around the country volunteered to pick them up, to build them up, to put an arm around them and let them know that they are loved, that they do matter, that they have value. This has been the most powerful experience I have ever been a part of and I want to thank #SteveHarvey and the entire foundation for extending the invite for my participation. This was life changing not only for them but for me as well. LOVE YALL!! GOD BLESS YOU!!
ESPN's National Spelling Bee
Today I had the pleasure of writing and performing the intro for #ESPN's #NationalSpellingBee!! LOVE what I DO!! LOVE seeing these young brilliant minds compete!! The future is looking BRIGHT!!
LOVE the LOVE!!
#tbt BIG S/O to #MountVernonHighSchool in New York!! This is from my visit to their school when I spoke to the Honors Society. The staff and students showed so much love. One of the best experiences so far during the #DearFather Movement!! Photo by #MVHSstudents.
#PhotoPoem #Misty
#PhotoPoem #Misty by J. Ivy
Dedicated to @mistyonpointe
#NationalPoetryMonth Edition
She dances like Ernie Barnes painted her,
Space bends for her,
Intertwines with her energy,
Density is released,
With ease she defies what can be done,
New framing is hung to fit her,
Grace lifts her,
Shifts her purpose,
Her poise makes noise like the sweetest music,
Her harmony is healing,
She's a flawless feather fearlessly floating in the art she makes,
Each step she takes is on point,
She tip-toes on the strings of our hearts,
She cold wit it!
Her image is frozen to the time she entices,
Reflecting the beauty of millions,
Mountains of mothers adorn her,
Her rhythm moves to the beat of those who have paved the way,
Each move is a movement,
She inspires,
Her elegance is electric,
She shines like the sun smiling at it's favorite star,
She's our star,
A beautiful reminder to dance to the beat of who we really are...
PROUD Moments
One of those PROUD moments!! Performing for and meeting the GREAT #GwendolynBrooks in #Chicago back in the day! #NationalPoetryMonth #throwback #NPM2015 #poet #poets #voice #storyteller #legend #respect #BornInChicago So amazing to have the chance to speak with and hang with one of the GREATS and have her critique my work!! #RestInPoetry
#PhotoPoem #StreetDreaming
#PhotoPoem #NationalPoetryMonth Edition #StreetDreaming
Photo by @noemadnyc #YouSNAPPED!! Poem by @J_Ivy
How high will your sky go,
How low will your low go,
Clouded ceilings,
Trying to find the right angle to catch that feeling,
If I were made of brick my first words would've been,
"I'm building,"
I scrape skies,
Tell them give me my high back,
Don't matter the terror,
My plane won't be high jacked,
We need to bury Murder Ave and Chiraq,
We done killed enough,
Let's project our feelings to where the love at,
Where the love at?!
Maybe they've conditioned our air,
Conditioned our minds,
Looking out of windows trying to position what's mine,
Some folks die only having one view,
I get it,
There's only one you,
You got a band of brothers,
But you only get once chance,
Can't get caught up in a romance with the hood,
It's real easy to forget your good,
Your worth is hanging off of the balcony,
Thoughts of suicide,
You and I can get pass the sickness,
The illness,
@wordspit said we the illest,
You right homie!
The healing comes when we see pass those clouded ceilings,
Victory is all in your perception,
Your depth of feel,
You got to feel every step,
Cause every step is real,
It's honest,
Every breath is life that you weren't promised,
A gift from the heavens,
Look up,
Thank GOD,
I smile filled with reverence,
I'm still pushing,
On faith I'm still leaning,
Knowing behind every cloud the sun is still beaming,
Eyes wide open,
I'm still #StreetDreaming!!
#PhotoPoem #StayOnPoint
#PhotoPoem #NationalPoetryMonth Edition
Photo by @chrisp1
Poem #StayOnPoint by J. Ivy
I'm on point like the sun saying high to sky,
Heat wave,
I see waves crashing,
I'm left asking,
What accidents were meant to happen,
What corrosion was needed,
What plants were seeded with love,
Guard up,
"Stick yo self Tony,"
Macs don't play fair,
Life don't either,
But I'm given hope every time I breathe new air,
Every time I feel the warmth of that flare up there,
I share this space because we weren't meant to be alone,
Homes weren't meant to be empty,
They were meant to be full of life,
Full of grace,
Rooted in love,
My blues won't be muddied like the waters of yesterday,
They'll be clear,
Crystal,
Sharp,
Still,
Calm,
Reflecting the light at the center of it all,
My depth is much deeper than the surface of my sea,
But sometimes you got to stick yo self in order to see,
Remind yo self to surf every tide,
Remind yo self to keep your guard up,
Stay on point,
And protect the beauty inside...
#DearFather Excerpt
Write your story with your #SoulsPen!! #DearFather #BreakingTheCycleOfPain #ThePowerOfForgiveness #NationalPoetryMonth #J_Ivy
#PhotoPoem Serena
@serenawilliams @voguemagazine
#WorkingIt by J. Ivy #PhotoPoem
#NationalPoetryMonth Edition
How poetic is this...
How poetic is She...
This Golden Brown Rose...
Pose...
Vogue...
Beauty froze for time to forever witness...
Admire...
Greatness for young beauties to aspire to reach,
Be like,
Be more like she did,
Serve Love like she does...
She's what is and what was...
The bar has been set,
Raised,
She's praised from the court to the cover,
With every swing at life she takes,
A new level of greatness is discovered...
SHINE ON!!
#PhotoPoem #SteppinOn
#PhotoPoem #SteppinOn by J. Ivy
#NationalPoetryMonth Edition
Taken@ #MountVernonHighSchool #NewYork
Every step taken builds character,
The climb isn't always easy,
So I lean on the values I've learned,
The stripes I've earned,
Knowing that I'm accountable for every decision made,
Every step made I've had support,
So it's important to me that I return the love,
Connect,
Strengthen the chain of our unity,
Together we're much more resilient,
When done right our leadership is brilliant,
I was born a leader so I lead,
I'm led by the gift of aspiration,
I always wanted to be somebody...
Special,
When it comes to the steps of life,
I always wanted to fair well on my stair well,
So I'm a keep on drivin',
Keep on reppin',
Keep on steppin',
No matter short or long,
I'm a keep on climbin',
Question is,
What are you stepping on?
The Apple Store Performance
I want to send a special thanks out to the #chicagoapplestore for having me out last night and to everyone who came out to support the event! AMAZING time!! #AppleStore #DearFather available on #iBooks!! #ThePowerOfForgiveness #DearFatherLetters #OneMillionLettersWritten #OneMillionHeartsHealed #WhoDoYouForgive #CHICAGO #NationalPoetryMonth
#PhotoPoem "Point Of View" by J. Ivy
#PhotoPoem #PointOfView by J. Ivy
#NationalPoetryMonth Edition
You're the only one in the world with your set of eyes,
Your viewpoint is unique,
It's special to you,
What does your heart project?
What do you digest?
What you looking at?!
When you open these windows to the soul,
These mirrors reflect your vision,
Decisions are made...
Clearly or confused,
You're used by what guides you,
Wipe the cold out your eye,
Clouded choices can be sickening,
Cleanse your view,
Your interpretation has voice,
It speaks when you've translated what you've seen,
Your eyes speak without speaking,
Communicate intention,
The eyes don't lie,
Even when the tongue does,
You have to see your future knowing it won't be what was,
Your story will depend on it,
What will you pen on it?
Will you squint,
Will you clean your lenses,
Pass your eye exam,
Be wide eyed,
Dilate your perception when your light is exposed,
Will you trust what you see,
Will you flinch when punches are thrown at you,
Will you push through when your eye is blackened,
When you're ego is bruised will you lose sight of your goals,
Will your lows become the picture you paint,
Hate is blinding,
Binding you to an image that will forever be remembered,
Remember what you were put here to be,
Remember you become a reflection of what you see,
A collage of the snapshots your mind took,
When you look inward,
Are you proudly standing on your outlook?
Safe Haven Tour
#BlackLivesMatter so let's continue to raise them up and show them that we care. Day #2 of my #SafeHaven Tour around #Chicago. Yesterday was the #NorthSide. Today was the #WestSide. Tomorrow is the #SouthSide. #DearFather #NationalPoetryMonth #AllLivesMatter #ThisIsWhatJoyLooksLike
#WalterScott #Hashtagged
#WalterScott Written by: J. Ivy
We've seen it time and time again,
A tragic trend,
Tragic ends,
Where our futures have become our pasts,
Black lives being body bagged,
Black names being hashtagged,
Memorialized by protests and news cycles,
This isn't a new cycle,
Since we came off those slave boats,
It's been the same o, same o,
Uniformed and plainclothes,
Fishing for scapegoats and false claims,
Can't explain why they took aim,
Why they pulled all those triggers,
The sick are getting sicker,
The epidemic continues to grow bigger,
Do you just have that much hate in your heart?
Is it that cold?
Is it really that hard?
What orders of hate have you been charged?
What lies have starved the truth?
What imbalance causes bullets to be thrown in the back of Black men and Black youth,
DON'T SHOOT!!
I said,
DONT'T SHOOT!!
Maybe I shouldn't scream,
Let me talk to you,
Put yourself in our shoes,
Walk in the pools of our tears,
Our years of having a wicked boot on our throats,
For years,
Our hopes,
Our ideas,
Our culture,
Our language,
Our music,
Our teachings,
Our inventions,
Our families wasn't enough,
You want to take our lives,
You could give a damn about how many of us die,
Just as long as it's not your children,
Your sister,
Your brother,
Your mother,
Your father,
As long as you're not the target,
It's just one less nigger in the streets,
One more trophy for the police,
One more grave for the deceased,
One more time for us to realize our true worth and fight for our future,
Our lives,
Our peace...
Dear Walter Scott,
May You Rest In Peace...
Spring Break Safe Haven Tour
Today I had the PLEASURE of speaking to these AMAZING young people at one of #Chicago's Safe Haven Spring Break Initiatives!! We even wrote a COLD poem together!! #NationalPoetryMonth #DearFather #BreakingTheCycleOfPain #ThePowerOfForgiveness #DearFatherLetters #TheFutureIsLookingBright #poets #writers #FUNTIMES
Say Word!
Last night rocking #DearFather on @TheWordNetwork in #Detroit!! Thank y'all for the LOVE!! #BreakingTheCycleOfPain #ThePowerOfForgiveness #DearFatherLetters #OneMillionLettersWritten #OneMillionHeartsHealed
#PhotoPoem "Bathe In GOD's Grace" by J. Ivy
#PhotoPoem "Bathe In GOD's Grace" by J. Ivy
#NationalPoetryMonth Edition
I want to stand in the sun and bathe in GOD's grace,
Find my place with each breath I take,
Move on faith,
Land in a peaceful space,
Let my love be seen in my face,
My smile,
My smirk,
My work will have purpose,
I'll surf my waves but find depth beyond the surface,
Why?
Because the reward is worth it,
The buried treasures will be measured by the scales of my heart,
I'll catch the breeze with my dreams each time my fears and I sail apart,
I'm a part of the dust forgotten,
My runway is made with grains of unsinkable sand,
My beach is walked on only when I'm too tired to fly,
When I land I stand,
I dance like the sun and it's sky,
Doing my two step,
My strut is tough,
It's strong,
Confident,
There's belief in each stride,
Magnetizing the ocean's tide,
As I stroll in the light,
Unapologetically letting my beauty SHINE...
#DearFather Excerpt
PROUD Moment!
One of those PROUD moments!! Opening for the GREAT #GilScottHeron in #Nashville back in the day! #NationalPoetryMonth #throwback #NPM2015 #poet #poets #voice #storyteller #musician #legend #respect #BornInChicago So amazing to have the chance to speak with and hang with one of my idols! #RestInPoetry good brother!! #HappyBirthday!!