J. Ivy is an American performance poet, spoken-word artist, recording artist, songwriter and author. He is a three-time HBO Def Poet and is known for his performance on Kanye West’s Grammy Award-winning debut album The College Dropout, which featured him on the song "Never Let Me Down" along with Jay-Z. He received an NAACP Image Award for his writing and on-camera narration of the BET documentary Muhammad Ali: The People's Champ. Recently, J. Ivy recorded and filmed a concert titled Catching Dreams: Live at Fort Knox Chicago, which was Nominated for the 2022 GRAMMY Awards in the Best Spoken Word Category alongside Levar Burton, Don Cheadle, Dave Chappelle, and Barack Obama. But before he was able to celebrate, J. Ivy took up the roles of Lead Writer, Voice Director, and Cast Member of Netflix’s new film, jeen-yuhs A Kanye Trilogy, directed by Coodie & Chike. “Jeen-yuhs” shared a nomination for Outstanding Documentary Series in the 2022 Emmys with The Beatles’ new documentary series, “Get Back”.
 
In this episode, J. Ivy and Jack discuss sharing an Emmy nomination with The Beatles, what it's like to work with Kanye West, finding inspiration in poetry and music, changing The Grammys, and picking a Beatle to collaborate with.
 
Check out J. Ivy's newest album, "The Poet Who Sat By The Door", on Spotify
 
Follow J . Ivy on Twitter: @J_Ivy
Follow J . Ivy on Instagram: @J_Ivy
 
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The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time[1] and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and popular music's recognition as an art form.[2] Rooted in skiffle, beat and 1950s rock 'n' roll, their sound incorporated elements of classical music and traditional pop in innovative ways; the band later explored music styles ranging from ballads and Indian music to psychedelia and hard rock. As pioneers in recording, songwriting and artistic presentation, the Beatles revolutionised many aspects of the music industry and were often publicised as leaders of the era's youth and sociocultural movements.
Led by primary songwriters Lennon and McCartney, the Beatles evolved from Lennon's previous group, the Quarrymen, and built their reputation playing clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg over three years from 1960, initially with Stuart Sutcliffe playing bass. The core trio of Lennon, McCartney and Harrison, together since 1958, went through a succession of drummers, including Pete Best, before asking Starr to join them in 1962. Manager Brian Epstein moulded them into a professional act, and producer George Martin guided and developed their recordings, greatly expanding their domestic success after signing to EMI Records and achieving their first hit, "Love Me Do", in late 1962.
J. Ivy was born March 3, 1976 as James Ivy Richardson II in Chicago, Illinois to James Ivy Richardson Sr. and Pamela 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,[2] and his mother was a registered nurse.
J. Ivy grew up on Chicago's South side with his family until the age of 14 before moving to the South Suburbs of Chicago, where he attended Rich Central High School. Ivy discovered his poetry talent during his junior year when his English teacher asked him to perform a piece he had written for a routine homework assignment.[3] He 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 poet