Sekou (tha misfit)

Sekou (tha misfit) is a versatile performer whose dynamic presence and energy never fails to command an audience's attention. A champion of multiple national poetry slams, his work has been featured on such diverse media outlets as ABC World News, Good Morning America, MSNBC, HBO's Def Poetry, Showtime, MTV, BET's Lyric Café, NIKE's "Hooptown" and "Witness" campaigns, as well as Oprah Winfrey's celebration of Maya Angelou's 75th birthday.

As a Motivational Poet & Strategic Presenter he is frequently retained by corporations, non-profit organizations and prominent individuals as a "secret weapon" because of the inspiration and motivation his unique writing and performing brings to internal meetings and marketing presentations. Companies/Individuals he has worked with include Time Warner, Nike, Kraft Foods, Oprah Winfrey, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, Wieden-Kennedy, Quincy Jones, Microsoft, HBO, Sierra Club, Norman Lear, and the NBA, to name but a few.

Sekou traveled this past June to Vienna, Austria where he spent the month working with NIKE corporate executives on identifying, shaping and communicating to the international staff the company's digital strategies for the future. In October he was a featured guest speaker at the prestigious Big Task Weekend conference in Southern California. Since 2005, Big Task has brought together CMOs, CEOs and presidents of organizations with the common goal of exploring social trends for the purpose of creating partnerships, joint initiatives and developing new channels of opportunity. More than ever before, the business community has embraced social responsibility as a prerequisite to "acting local."

He has written and performed, with creative partner Steve Connell, pieces for HBO's US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, CO, the annual NCAA Leadership Conference, as well as the ACLU's national conference. Their first full-length collaborative work, The Word Begins, which celebrates the human heart, relationships and society, enjoyed its world premiere 9-week run last Fall at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA, where it played to sold out crowds nightly and subsequently garnered the talented duo 3 Helen Hayes Awards nominations. He and Steve have performed at private events for Barack Obama (by special request of Oprah Winfrey) and Hillary Clinton (by special request of Quincy Jones) while also working with Rock The Vote, Norman Lear's Declare Yourself organization and Robert Greenwald's Brave New Foundation during election season. This summer Sekou and creative partner, Steve Connell, performed to sold out crowds over 3 evenings with the Pasadena Pops Orchestra for conductor Rachael Worby's "In The Heat Of The Night" program, which was enthusiastically received by the symphony-goers.

Sekou is also an accomplished actor, voice-over artist, songwriter, and music producer. Sekou's previous independent CD releases have also earned him an impressive array of regional and national music awards. His collection of Just Plain Folks awards, including Best Spoken Word Album, Best Hip-Hop Album, Best Producer, and Best Holiday Album have made him the most awarded artist in the largest music organization in the nation. His latest CD, Poetic License, (July 2008) is a two-disc set that captures both the energy, intensity and humor of his live spoken word performances on one disc and his poetic verse set to a wide range of musical styles, including R&B, Rap, Soul, Gospel, Alternative, among others, on the second disc.

An intoxicating blend of passion and presence in every word - Sekou is not just an artist but also an experience.

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