Biography
Beginning his creative path as a freestyle rapper rather than a poet, the devout Muslim Amir Sulaiman later embraced spoken word expression, a sequence uncommon among many hip-hop artists. The Black Arts Movement, the artistic outgrowth of the Black Power Movement from the 1960s and 1970s, along with one of its central voices, Amiri Baraka, left a deep mark on his work. While earning a B.A. in English at North Carolina A&T State University, he tested his material at spoken word events across college campuses, coffeehouses, and bookstores. His verses sprang largely from personal history, particularly his experiences growing up Muslim, with some pieces offering gentle reflections on love and women while others delivered pointed examinations of racism in America. He collected these pieces into his debut poetry volume, Words of Love, Life, and Death, during his sophomore year.
After finishing his studies near the year 2000, Sulaiman moved to Atlanta, where he independently issued his first spoken word recording, Cornerstore Folklore, in 2001. His appearance on HBO’s Def Poetry showcase three years later brought his work to a national audience, yet also drew the attention of the FBI, who arrived to question him at his mother-in-law’s home in San Francisco six days after the 2004 broadcast. The following day he learned his name had been added to a secret “no-fly” list preventing air travel. Rather than deter him, the episode sharpened his resolve. He followed with the pointed releases Dead Man Walking in 2004 and Broad Daylight in 2006. Brooklyn MC/actor Mos Def, host of the same Def Poetry program, invited Sulaiman onto the Breed Love Odyssey tour spanning late 2005 and early 2006. Sulaiman then assembled Like a Thief in the Night, issued in 2007 and featuring Mos Def, Dead Prez’s M-1, and the Last Poets; the project marked his first properly distributed effort and leaned more explicitly into hip-hop territory.
After finishing his studies near the year 2000, Sulaiman moved to Atlanta, where he independently issued his first spoken word recording, Cornerstore Folklore, in 2001. His appearance on HBO’s Def Poetry showcase three years later brought his work to a national audience, yet also drew the attention of the FBI, who arrived to question him at his mother-in-law’s home in San Francisco six days after the 2004 broadcast. The following day he learned his name had been added to a secret “no-fly” list preventing air travel. Rather than deter him, the episode sharpened his resolve. He followed with the pointed releases Dead Man Walking in 2004 and Broad Daylight in 2006. Brooklyn MC/actor Mos Def, host of the same Def Poetry program, invited Sulaiman onto the Breed Love Odyssey tour spanning late 2005 and early 2006. Sulaiman then assembled Like a Thief in the Night, issued in 2007 and featuring Mos Def, Dead Prez’s M-1, and the Last Poets; the project marked his first properly distributed effort and leaned more explicitly into hip-hop territory.