J. Ivy

J. Ivy (born March 3, 1976 as James Ivy Richardson II) is an American performance poet, spoken word artist, recording artist, and author. He is a three-time HBO Def Poet and has earned a Grammy Award for his performance on Kanye West’s debut album The College Dropout. His full-length solo album, Here I Am, was released in late 2010 on his co-owned entertainment company Ivyous Entertainment.

J. Ivy was born March 3, 1976 as James Ivy Richardson II in Chicago, Illinois to James Ivy Richardson, Sr. and P. 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, and his mother was a registered nurse.

J. Ivy grew up on Chicago’s South side until the age of 14 before moving to the South suburbs, where he attended Rich Central High School. J discovered his poetry talent when his English teacher asked him to perform a piece he had written for a routine assignment. J 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.

J. Ivy attended Illinois State University, 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 there. As his popularity grew, J. Ivy was featured several times on Chicago's WGCI radio station and later became the host of "Rituals," (from 1997-2000) 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 Jam. He received a standing ovation for his performance of “I Need to Write” was invited back for two encore appearances in later seasons.

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