Black Poetry Day: Celebs Who Performed on Def Poetry Jam

Def Poetry Jam, or commonly known as Def Poetry, was a spoken word television series that highlighted Black spoken word and poetry artists.

The series was created by Russell Simmons, co-founder of Def Jam Records, and was hosted by rapper Yasiin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def). Several artists performed powerful poetry of love, healing, and power. It included legendary, historical performances by outstanding wordsmiths like The Last Poets, Nikki Giovanni, Saul Williams and more.

Several hip-hop and soul artists also graced the stage of Def Poetry, such as captivating performances by Erykah Badu, Common, Lauryn Hill and even some performances by Yasiin Bey.

The show was a spin-off of the popular series Def Jam Comedy and ran on HBO from 2002 to 2007.

For National Black Poetry Day, we will highlight some of the historic celebrities who adorned the Def Poetry limelight with their compelling voices and vivid words.

Malcolm-Jamal Warner

The late Cosby Show star Malcolm-Jamal Warner, who died in a rip current accident on July 20, performed on the Def Poetry stage. Warner released three poetry books in his lifetime, receiving a Grammy nomination in 2023 for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album. In 2015, he won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance for his feature on Robert Glasper’s rendition of “Jesus Children.”