Dark Noise
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Music
Press
"Look" by Nate Marshall - Oprah.com
(cover photo) - Franny Choi - Boston Herald
There may not be enough hours in the day for Jamila Woods. The do-everything 23-year-old is a sort of modern-day Renaissance woman. With all that she does, it’s a wonder she can find time to do anything at all. “I really find that I can’t really do just one thing,” said Woods. “I get a lot of energy from that balance of other things, and I think my craft benefits from doing all of it.”
Woods sings as part of the Chicago duo Milo and Otis, who opened for Chance The Rapper at The Metro last October, and play the Hard Rock Cafe on March 1. Her poetry has won her two Louder Than A Bomb College slam poetry titles (2009 and 2011). “Being onstage for poetry has helped me so much because if I have a nervous feeling now, it’s more of a familiar feeling,” said Woods. She has also produced two plays and has a book of poetry, “The Truth About Dolls” (New School Poetics Press). Woods also spends her down time helping at Young Chicago Authors.
“Working with students, they don’t care what I do in my free time. It’s humbling because I have to come in and convince them that poetry is worth their time, which, at the same time pushes me to do the kind of poetry that I’m writing.” - Chicago Sun-Times
There may not be enough hours in the day for Jamila Woods. The do-everything 23-year-old is a sort of modern-day Renaissance woman. With all that she does, it’s a wonder she can find time to do anything at all. “I really find that I can’t really do just one thing,” said Woods. “I get a lot of energy from that balance of other things, and I think my craft benefits from doing all of it.”
Woods sings as part of the Chicago duo Milo and Otis, who opened for Chance The Rapper at The Metro last October, and play the Hard Rock Cafe on March 1. Her poetry has won her two Louder Than A Bomb College slam poetry titles (2009 and 2011). “Being onstage for poetry has helped me so much because if I have a nervous feeling now, it’s more of a familiar feeling,” said Woods. She has also produced two plays and has a book of poetry, “The Truth About Dolls” (New School Poetics Press). Woods also spends her down time helping at Young Chicago Authors.
“Working with students, they don’t care what I do in my free time. It’s humbling because I have to come in and convince them that poetry is worth their time, which, at the same time pushes me to do the kind of poetry that I’m writing.” - Chicago Sun-Times
Who is Aaron?
Getting Aaron Samuels to sit still isn’t easy; between WU-SLam, WU Sauce, MIXED and his many other commitments, the kid always has somewhere to be. Still, despite his crazy schedule, Aaron manages to give everything he’s got to everything he does. And he’s got a lot to give.
In 2007, Aaron co-founded WU-SLam, Wash U’s only slam poetry group. When he first got involved in poetry, he was just another hopeful high schooler trying to spit the most revolutionary and gully rhymes. After years of practice and countless competitions, he has developed into a way more mature artist, someone who works tirelessly on his poetry and dedicates himself to increasing WU-SLam’s presence on campus. In his senior year, Aaron is excited to see how he can continue to impact the Wash U community through poetry, dance and almost every other medium.
// CONNECT
Want to connect with Aaron? Hit him up on facebook or catch him at WU-SLam’s weekly Inklings Poetry Workshop at 8.30 p.m. on Mondays at Ursa’s fireside.
// INTERVIEW
Kuumba.tv: How did you start with Slam?
Aaron: I did spoken word poetry competitively in high school. Started junior year of high school on the Providence slam team. I’ve really been writing my whole life. It really got started in Baltimore when I met this kid Nate Marshall, and he started talking about this thing called slam poetry. He told me about it, and we ended up writing a duet; I actually keep [the duet] with me most of the time.
Kuumba.tv: Can you talk about your craft?
Aaron: I put in so much time. I wish I could put in more, actually. There are periods of time I try and write everyday. I always carry around a notebook with me. You practice until your stuff is perfect. Until you can execute multiple times and have a consistent performance.
Kuumba.tv: What drives you to set the bar so high?
Aaron: I am a perfectionist. Everything I do I try to hold to a high standard….With poetry it is especially important. I’m not just setting an example for myself; I’m trying to set an example for a student group.
Kuumba.tv: How did you connect with Chris and start WU-SLam?
Aaron: Me and Chris said, ‘We are going to do this, and we are going to do it hard. We are going to start off with four slams, a grand slam, then use that to take the team to nationals. We are going to build the hype, build the community; we are going to bring spoken word to this campus.’
Kuumba.tv: And some final words…
Aaron: I can do something special here. I can change minds. I can change lives. I think the poets that take themselves seriously really believe that.
Collaborators: Ben Rhaming; Sohrab Golestani; Gabe Brehm - Kuumba.TV
Listen to the power of poetry as Kevin Coval, Haki Madhubuti, and Aaron Samuels come together for an evening of performance and conversation emceed by Sage Morgan-Hubbard. Join us for provocative performances by the three artists followed by a conversation that will explore issues of race and identity in hip hop and poetry.
Aaron Samuels is an award-winning poet, educator, community organizer, and published author. Aaron has performed his work for the last six years, consistently ranking among the top poets in the youth, collegiate, and national competitions. Aaron's upcoming book, Mutually Assured Destruction, will be released this fall, and some of his poetry was recently published in Muzzle, a Chicago Literary magazine. Aaron's aspirations include making the world a better place. - Chicago Public Radio
Listen to the power of poetry as Kevin Coval, Haki Madhubuti, and Aaron Samuels come together for an evening of performance and conversation emceed by Sage Morgan-Hubbard. Join us for provocative performances by the three artists followed by a conversation that will explore issues of race and identity in hip hop and poetry.
Aaron Samuels is an award-winning poet, educator, community organizer, and published author. Aaron has performed his work for the last six years, consistently ranking among the top poets in the youth, collegiate, and national competitions. Aaron's upcoming book, Mutually Assured Destruction, will be released this fall, and some of his poetry was recently published in Muzzle, a Chicago Literary magazine. Aaron's aspirations include making the world a better place. - Chicago Public Radio
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Dark Noise is a multiracial, multi-genre tour featuring some of the most exciting, insightful, and powerful spoken word artists performing today. Our artists perform and lead workshops focusing on a variety of subjects including race, gender, religious exploration, queer identity, hip-hop culture, and radical truth telling. We offer artists that can host events, facilitate workshops, and give dynamic performances. Our artists have been featured on film and television projects including HBOs Brave New Voices, TV Ones Verses and Flow, and Louder than a Bomb. They have featured at venues across four continents, including Madison Square Garden, Swedens National Poetry Slam, Sanaa Africa Festival and The Apollo Theater. Widely published poets who have received a number of honors (including Pushcart nominations and Fulbright Fellowships), our artists bring a wealth of collective experience as organizers and educators who have worked to establish spoken word as a tool for critical engagement and entertainment.
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