Music
Press
Renda Writer's personal motto, according to his website, is "pimp yourself." It's a constant theme throughout the 33 tracks on his second full-length, Eclectic Poetic, an album that is half hip-hop and half spoken word. Writer's beat-backed tracks like "We're All Connected" and "3:15 am" outshine the a cappella ones. Luckily, though, Writer doesn't fall into the trap of trying to sound like some tough-guy poet turned rapper. He pulled off the incredibly difficult task of laying down a disc full of spoken-word tracks that's worth listening to twice. The opening song "Who Am I?" is a series of statements that lay out his personality and where he's coming from, followed by the obvious question, "But who am I?" Throughout the two-minute track, it becomes clear who Writer is — a white heterosexual guy from South Florida who's working as a salesman somewhere. But ultimately, the guy was born a poet. Two of the best songs feature local singers and poetry buddies. On "Love Games," the sultry vocals of Boca Raton's Cat Shell add a jazzy flair; "Brand New" brings in a didgeridoo-wielding Xavier Hawk, a local tribal hip-hop singer who lays down some interesting beat box-style vocals to back Writer's lyrics.
The lyrics throughout Eclectic Poetic are self-exploratory and can slip into clichés, and the album works best on the hip-hop-style tracks (the ones where he sounds more like Eminem than Anne Sexton). But overall, Writer manages to be insightful without being preachy. And for a poet, that's what really counts. Check out www.rendathepoet.com.
- New Times Magazine (Broward/Palm Beach Edition) - By Jake Smith
Discography
Debut Experimental Poetry Release - "Eclectic Poetic" - May 2006
*Cubicle Cages - Featured on Inoculated Radio's Podcast - Show #13 (Hour 2)
(www.myspace.com/inoculatedradio)
Photos
Bio
“That’s my real hand!” - If you ever met Renda Writer, chances are he said exactly that as he handed you his business card with a picture of his actual hand, writing on yellow legal paper. It’s all handwritten - phone number, e-mail address, website – www.RendaThePoet.com – and most importantly, occupation: Poet & Open Mic Host.
As a poet, Renda started writing consistently in 2000, while living in New York City. He spent his days jotting down thoughts in notebooks while promoting comedy clubs to street corner pedestrians, and spent his nights performing at poetry slams and open mics all over the city, including The Nu-Yorican Poets Café and The Bowery Poetry Club.
Renda soon parlayed his high visibility on the New York City scene into a few notable credentials, including a third-place performance at Amateur Night at the Apollo Theatre and his first paid gig - as the opening act for comedian Rick Shapiro’s 4-week show at The Bowery Poetry Club. In 2003, he beat out thousands of others to become one of the top five finalists on the CBS reality TV show Cupid, produced by Simon Cowell of American Idol. His 11-week appearance on the show allowed his poetry to be seen and heard by over 8 million viewers. Renda moved to South Florida in 2004, and focused on making a career out of his creativity.
Renda had the honor of opening up for HBO Def Poet, Georgia Me, at Miami’s famed Mello Mondays and was given his own feature billing at the same venue 3 months later. In June 2006, Renda performed his poem “Trullsions” in front of 500 people at the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale’s annual fashion show. Later, he was interviewed on the internet-broadcast ratio talk show, “The Spoken Word” on www.PowerTalkFm.com, where he promoted the release of his debut experimental poetry CD, “Eclectic Poetic.” The CD features 33 tracks that are “worth listening to twice,” according to journalist Jake Smith, who reviewed the album for the New Times Magazine in August 2006. The issue was still on the stands when he performed alongside comedians, rock bands, and rap groups for a crowd of 500 at Rock the Vote in Hollywood, FL. That same month, Renda became the Delray Beach Grand Slam Champion, earned a spot on the city’s team, and a trip to the National Poetry Slam in Austin, TX.
As an open mic host, Renda has unified the South Florida independent scene by hosting 3 successful weekly open mics and a poetry slam, landing him countless mentions in local print media - The Sun-Sentinel, Boca Raton Times, City Link, and New Times Magazine. His notoriety led him to other hosting opportunities, including a fundraiser for Kids in Distress, opening night of the Red Eye multi-media art exhibit at ArtServe in Ft. Lauderdale, and the monthly launch party for Us Artists Magazine. Throughout the year, Renda hosts numerous Stand-Up Comedy and Spoken Word Poetry Showcases, as well as his signature Demo Critique Night. He is also a freelance writer, specializing in music-related articles for Heat Beat and Us Artists Magazine.
Influences include Jim Morrison, Saul Williams, KRS-One, Gil Scott-Heron, Anti-Pop Consortium, Def Poetry Jam, and all the local artists who perform at his open mics.
Renda Writer is available for poetry performances, special event bookings, and freelance work. If interested, please contact him at www.RendaThePoet.com.
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