Sekou (tha misfit)

Sekou (tha misfit) is a versatile performer whose dynamic presence and energy never fails to command an audience’s attention. A two-time champion of the National Poetry Slam Competition (2002 and 2003), as well as the winner of the Word Up! National Poetry Slam, his work has been featured on such diverse media outlets as ABC World News, Good Morning America, MSNBC’s Hardball, twice on HBO’s Def Poetry, Showtime’s Crossover, MTV’s Battlegrounds, BET’s Lyric Café, Artisan Films’ Belly DVD, NIKE’s Hooptown, Oprah Winfrey’s celebration of Maya Angelou’s 75th birthday, P-Diddy’s Annual White Party, several national commercial spots. He’s also performed in two national spoken word tours, including Declare Yourself - the voting initiative founded by legendary TV/Filmmaker Norman Lear, which traveled with the Declaration of Independence and registered over 1 million new voters.

Sekou’s dedicated years as an elementary school teacher make him a favorite among schools. His performances and seminars on diversity, creative writing, and poetry as a career are in demand at venues around the world - from universities in America, to festivals in Europe, to his residency at the annual Mind, Body & Soul women’s retreat in Jamaica. A remarkably universal artist, Sekou is also sought as a “secret weapon” by major companies, such as Waggener Edstrom Worldwide and NIKE, for the unique electricity his poetry brings to internal presentations, marketing pitches, and viral messaging. His unique gift for transforming the objectives of an average PowerPoint presentation into an emotive, captivating poem, have made him the go-to guy when a corporation needs to set itself apart and dazzle an audience of executives, investors, or potential clients. The culmination of Sekou’s most recent tour found him performing material commissioned by the ACLU for their 2006 National Membership Conference.

Having established an impressive solo career, Sekou has harnessed twice the power with writing/performing partner Steve Connell. Sekou and Steve were invited by HBO to perform at the 12 th Annual U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, CO and currently have two pages on the ACLU’s website dedicated to multiple commissioned pieces, performances, and recordings by this sensational duo. To develop their crowning group achievement to date, Sekou and Steve participated in the prestigious 2005 & 2006 Ojai Playwrights Conference where they unveiled their new play, The Word Begins, directed by Robert Egan. This inspirational show, garnering industry acclaim and buzz, had an exclusive engagement at the Signature Theatre in Washington, DC, before sold-out audiences every night, and has been booked at the Signature for a 9-week run in 2007, while preparing for a national tour in 2008.

Sekou is also an accomplished actor, voiceover artist, songwriter, and music producer. Each of his independent CD releases - including his latest double CD of spoken word, Afrodeezyackz/The Mumblings of a Madman - have earned him an impressive array of regional and national music awards. Not only did he receive the Los Angeles Music Award for Outstanding Music Video and a nomination for Best Hip-Hop Artist, but his collection of Just Plain Folks awards, including Best Spoken Word Album, Best Hip-Hop Album, Best Producer, and Best Holiday Album - for his compilation "Seven: A Kwanzaa Soundtrack" - make him themost awarded artist in the largest music organization in the nation.

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