Paul D

“There is no struggle better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.” If this Malcolm X quote has any truth to it, the honesty will be found in the words of Dorian “Paul D” Rogers.

The twenty-six year old middle-school teacher/rapper/poet knows the struggle all too well. Born in the crack-infested streets of East Cleveland, Ohio, in the early 1980’s, Paul D’s own father’s battle with addiction to drugs prompted his family to move to Albany, Georgia in 1990. His mother attempted this move in an attempt to get his father away from a harsh lifestyle, but their new town had been infamously labeled “The Murder Capital of the World” just one year prior.

Born of a black father and Jewish mother, Paul D frantically searched for acceptance in the self-segregated South. “It was confusing and frustrating to be called ‘white boy” by my black friends and ‘nigger’ by my white friends. I never received any racism in Cleveland but Georgia was new ballgame” As early as five years old, Paul D was memorizing the raps of the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J, routinely being called on to perform at family events. He submerged himself in music to escape his childhood pain. “I always had a fondness for words. Rhymes were always second nature to me.” Paul knew that he had a special talent early on.

Today, his potential has been made manifest. In 2005, as a member of Black on Black Rhyme/Back Talk! Poetry Troupe, Paul D became the 13th Annual Southern Fried Poetry Slam Champion, beating out over 100 poets in the largest regional slam competition in the nation. In 2007, he led Slam Charlotte to a 1st place finish in the National Poetry Slams in Austin, TX. To this date, Paul has featured at over thirty colleges and universities across the nation.

Not only one of the hottest new spoken word talents, Paul D is also a rapper in the Southern Hip-Hop duo, THER.I.P.Y. (The Radiance is Purely Yours). The duo has been scouted by Atlantic Records and has performed on stage with Stevie Wonder, Cee-Lo, Bone Thugs and Harmony, T.I. and many more. After graduation from Florida State University in 2004, Paul D decided to use his English Education degree to assist the youth in inner-city Atlanta. In his first year as an educator, Paul was appointed as head of the 8th grade writing program for a school that had failed in writing for the previous eight years. Under the guidance of Paul D, students scored an astounding 93% passing rate, a remarkable feat in comparison to 69% just one year before.

Whether he’s competing in a slam, performing a college feature, or hosting an event, Paul D’s unique and clever imagery, word play, concepts, and story-telling abilities have made him a favorite among audiences regardless of race, gender, or class. With a poetry book, spoken word CD, and three rap albums under his belt, the industry is on the edge of its seat to see what Paul D will do next.