Amanda Diva
In the summer of 2001 Amanda Diva burst onto the poetry scene as a spoken word emcee whose style, an energetic blend of Hip Hop and Black history, humor and intensity, strength and intelligence, stood out from the exploding poetry scene. The honesty of Amanda’s work is felt through her combination of a powerful singing voice and a powerful inner voice, which she melds together to create her unique exuberant style of performance.
Addressing issues ranging from politics to everyday occurrences that everyone can relate to, Amanda transfers her thoughts and experiences into an explosive rhyme format that forces the highest egos to come down to earth, and the most thorough thugs to awaken their intellect.
She has blessed mics with her amazing poetry in various ways, including two appearances on HBO’s Russell Simmons Presents: Def Poetry Jam and Jessie Jackson’s 2003 Rainbow Push Benefit. She prevailed as the two-time Grand Slam Semi Finalist at New York City’s famed NuYorican Poet’s Café, and participated in the legendary Lyricist Lounge showcases. She has also burned down the stage with her lyrics at college campuses across the nation.
In addition to her poetry performances, she served as guest speaker/panelist on Hip Hop alongside Kurtis Blow and Nikki Giovanni at the illustrious Texas A & M University, and frequently speaks and performs for elementary school to high school kids from various residential and urban areas.
A lover of music, Amanda spent some time filling the roll as the “face of Hip Hop” for MTV2, and commands her own show on Sirius Satellite Radio. Her witty, interactive show airs on the Hip Hop Nation channel, Monday through Friday from 7am-2pm EST. Additionally, she serves as a contributor for the exceedingly popular online news source AllHipHop.com. Across those three distinctive media outlets she has interviewed the likes of Jay-Z, Nas, Outkast, 50 Cent, The Roots, Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith, LL Cool J, Lloyd Banks, Damon Dash, Abiodune Oyewele of The Last Poets, Mariah Carey, Jadakiss, Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Mobb Deep, Ghostface Killa, Dead Prez, Omar Epps, David Banner, and more.
Always trying to raise the bar, Amanda Diva is a creative artist who seeks to use song and Hip Hop to take poetry to another level. She has recently released her first mixtape It’s Bigger than Hip Hop, The Mixtape: Vol. 1 combining her poems with popular song instrumentals as backdrops. Her vocals can also be found on her first Spoken Word/ Soul album Never a Dull Moment.
A 2003 graduate of SUNY Purchase with a Bachelor of the Arts in Liberal Arts in Black Studies with a concentration in the Visual and Performing Arts, she culminated her four academic years by producing, directing, and writing her one woman show, Musical People: How Black Music Moves the Black Experience at the H.E.R.E. Theater in Manhattan, New York.
In 2004 she completed her Masters Degree in African American Studies at Columbia University, and recently released her first volume of poetry, Young Skin, Wise Mind, Old Soul. The book is available on her personal website at AmandaDiva.com.
A lyrical cardiologist who rhymes from the heart, Amanda Diva considers herself a contemporary Hip Hop poet, representing the voice of consciousness that is currently far too lacking in Hip Hop music.
For online interviews and audio features, contact dove@tygereye.net
