Amanda Diva

In the summer of 2001 Amanda Diva burst onto the poetry scene as a spoken word emcee who’s style, an energetic blend of hip-hop and Black history, humor and intensity, strength and intelligence, stood out from the now exploding poetry scene. The honesty of Miss Diva’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 of politics as well as everyday occurrences and headaches that everyone deals with, Amanda Diva puts them in an explosive rhyme format that forces the highest sadiddy to come down to earth, and the most thorough thug to awaken his intellect. “Diva Deev” has blessed mics from Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam (’02 & ‘05) and Jessie Jackson’s “Rainbow Push” Benefit (2003), to New York City’s world famous NuYorican Poet’s Café (two time Grand-Slam Semi Finalist), the Lyricist Lounge, and more. She has also burned down the stage with her lyrics from the University of Miami to the University of Texas Austin and others. Along with hitting the stages of college campuses across the U.S. as a poet, she has performed with the legendary Last Poets and also served as guest speaker/panelist on hip-hop along side 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 has filled the roll as the “face of hip-hop” for MTV2 and you can also hear her rockin the airwaves at Sirius Satellite Radio Monday through Friday from 7am-2 est on “Hip-hop Nation.” In addition she serves as a contributor for XXL Magazine and 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, Damon Dash, Abiodune Oyewele of The Last Poets, Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Mobb Deep, dead prez, Omar Epps, 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. Changing the game, she has recently released her first mixtape, “It’s Bigger than Hip-hop, The Mixtape: Vol. 1” combining her poems with today and yesterday’s hottest beats! Her vocals can also be found on her first Spoken Word/ Blues cd “Never a Dull Moment”. A graduate of SUNY Purchase (2003) 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 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. She recently completed her Master’s in African American Studies at Columbia University (2005) and released her first volume of poetry, Young Skin, Wise Mind, Old Soul, (available at the Bodega). As if that isn’t enough, she is working to strengthen the minds of the community by speaking at schools and on numerous panels. And as a member of the Atlanta based dj crew "The Aphilliates" she holds it down as one of the livest party hosts this side of the Mississippi!!! As if she isn't busy enough, Diva's latest venture is outside of the music/entertainment business. Currently turning a hobby into a new career she has begun the process of bringing her love for visual art to the masses. Diverse in theme and medium, using acrylics, chalk pastels, and ink, like her poetry, she combines elements of Black culture to create unique works that add flava to any home and plans to begin a series of showings and openings, as well as additions to the Bodega, to display and sell the visual expression of her aristry. A lyrical cardiologist who rhymes from the heart, she considers herself a contemporary hip-hop poet, representing the voice of consciousness that is currently far too lacking in hip-hop music.