Yunus Abdul Quddus Poet - Providence, RI
........Yunus Abdul-Quddus ...The Lost Poetical Prophet was born in Norfolk, Virginia to two proud parents. Years later, when his parents divorced, Yunus and his father moved to Philadelphia, where he would later be exposed to the art of spoken word poetry. His father Ali Jamal, an underground poet, would take him to various jazz clubs and open mic venues, exposing him to a culture and art very little appreciated. Yet, it was not until the sixth grade he decided to write his first poem..... Bored with conventional story telling and books he read in grade school, he would skim through, take phrases from the sentences, and try to make them rhyme. His ability to take words from books and write completely different stories, from that read, showed his vast literary talents. His teachers classified him as a daydreamer, an idealist. Yet, who knew that years later this daydreamer, who rewrote old history books from the 1980s, would be answering to a higher purpose.....and that purpose was to be a spoken word artist. At the age of 19, Yunus went public with his poetry for the first time at Brave New World on 7th and Arch Street in Philadelphia. Since then he has dedictaed himself to performing at every possible opportunity. Yunus decided to take his act on the road and set a goal to be heard and known up and down the east coast. That goal has broaden now from being heard on one region in the United States to sharing his works globally. Currently, Yunus can be found hosting two open mike venues, The Brooklyn Coffee and Tea House on Tuesday nights and The Black Repertory Theatre Company on a Monday night. He is also founder and President of Johnson & Wales Underground Poetry Club, which brings together other artistic minds like himself under one roof to share their literary talents. Additionally, he is one of the four deadly venoms in the performance poetry group Spittin Images. Yunus has appeared on various radio stations such as, Brown University Radio, WDAJ am The Drive with Angelo Marinochi, and will be appearing on UConn Radio shortly. One of his many goals is to create music that can bring all ethnic cultures and background under one umbrella. This music will not disrespect oneself or belittle women. He proclaims that these works of poems shall not have explicit lyrics. There is no need to use profanity to express oneself, he claims. "Pick up a dictionary like Malcolm X and tell your story. Write clean pure music and words that still tell true experiences of love, spirituality, and poetic testimonies on life. Music can have a positive, realistic message and still be entertaining." The man, who only saw the art of poetry as a hobby, is now not only reciting it, but also teaching other the blessings God bestowed upon him. Currently, he teaches poetry at the Met Technical Center, Johnson & Wales Poetry Club, and Community College of Rhode Island. Last year, he was granted the opportunity to stand on the same stage as Philadelphia legendary poet Ursula Rucker and HBO Def Jam Iyeoka Ivie Okoawo, when he opened Sound Session 2005 in Providence, RI. Yunus has competed in poetry slams at the Lizard Lounge, Boston where he would finish second place, with only his Mentor claiming first prize. A student whose work was comparable to his teachers work. He also, would finish second place at AS220s Poetry Slam in Providence. Currently, Yunus has released three tracks on a poetry mix CD entitled Know Words- Volume I with the Quiet Nation Label, and is working on two other CD projects to follow: one, a self-titled album The Lost Thoughts of a Poetical Prophet, and another CD project with the group Spittin Images. All this from a man who never took poetry seriously, and would laugh, at any person telling him that he should share his work with the world. This is only the beginning for a student/ poet/ teacher/ counselor who puts passion into whatever projects he is involved in. This is a glimpse in the life of Yunus Abdul Quddus a lost voice in the wilderness finally crying out to be heard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!............... Availability & Rates: Negotiable, please contact me for further info.	Yunus Abdul Quddus Providence, RI Phone: (401) 215-0992