J. Ivy is a hip-hop poet, musician, actor and speaker. J. grew up on Chicago's South Side and first discovered his affinity for poetry after a routine school writing assignment. Today, he is a leader in the hip-hop poetry community, having won a Peabody award for his performance on Russel Simmons' Def Poetry. He was also awarded a Grammy for his contribution with Jay-Z on Kanye West's The College Dropout album. J. has collaborated with John Legend, RZA, The Last Poets, The Roots, Common, Mos Def, The Black Crowes, Bob Dylan, and many more.