Wordsworth

As his name suggests, Brooklyn-bred microphone fiend Wordsworth is the epitome of a true Hip Hop wordsmith. At a time when the rap market is flooded with formulaic, cookie-cutter sensations who churn out fast, forgettable hits rather than solid albums, this Lyricist Lounge all-star is looking to the past to reinvigorate the present by recalling the essence of 1994 - when the beats were hard and emcees talked to listeners rather than at them about relevant topics they could relate to. As an undergraduate at the State University of New York's Old Westbury campus, Wordsworth became a distinguished member of the student body population by penning all of his papers and writing assignments in lyrical verse. After graduating with a degree in English Language and Literature in 1998, Wordsworth teamed up with part-time rhyme partner Punchline to form a duo, commonly known as Punch 'N' Words, and began making the rounds on the national underground Hip Hop open mic circuit. Audiences immediately responded to their conversational chemistry, and the duo rapidly developed a loyal fan base. After commanding the stage at a Lyricist Lounge showcase in 1997, event host Q-Tip was so impressed that he tapped Wordsworth and Punchline to perform on "Rock Rock, Y'all," the closing track on A Tribe Called Quest's 1998 gold-certified album The Love Movement. Later that same year the duo was also featured on Black Star's "Twice Inna Lifetime." In addition to appearing on a multitude of other artists' albums, Punch and Words appeared in three Lyricist Lounge-related tour in 2000, both compilation albums on Mic Media/Rawkus, and MTV's groundbreaking sketch comedy series The Lyricist Lounge Show, which Wordsworth co-created, scripted and starred in. After they released a self-titled EP on Mona Hip Hop/Landspeed in 2001, the pair amicably moved on to pursue solo endeavors. Over the years, Wordsworth has also gained solo notoriety by performing on radio shows including Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito and Sway and Tech's Wake Up Show. He frequents open mic venues and has appeared on popular mix tapes that have circulated worldwide. In addition to pursuing a career as a solo emcee and continuing to be featured on other artists' albums, Wordsworth has parlayed the experience he gained from The Lyricist Lounge Show into a budding career both on and off-camera in film and television. He continues to study acting, has written a number of film scripts and television treatments, and was recently featured in the award-winning independent film, Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme, which debuted at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. He has been a guest host for the video show Telemundo, and has toured over the past year with gifted emcee J-Live throughout the U.S. and Europe. In 2002 Wordsworth released his first solo single "On Your Feet" produced by Da Beatminerz, with B-side “That Way” produced by Curt Gowdy. In 2003 Words received high praise for his second single “Not Me” produced by J-Zone, with the B-side “Wildlife” produced by Sebb. He recorded the song “Bosoms” with Soulive and J-Live, and continued to work on his album project. In November 2003 Words signed to up-and-coming label Halftooth Records, and his highly anticipated debut solo album, Mirror Music, will be released in August 2004. The first single from Mirror Music is “Gotta Pay” produced by Oddisee with the B-side “Trust” produced by Dox 1. Vinyl for the single will be in stores in late June. Wordsworth's new work is a significant departure from the music he created with Punch both lyrically and musically. It's refreshingly gritty, smart, ripe with wisdom acquired through life experiences and incredibly compelling. “In my rhymes, I try to create pictures that illustrate emotions,” Words explains. “When people hear my album I want them to feel like I said everything they couldn't say, so when a song ends their response is, 'Word'! To put it bluntly, my album is like an audio art gallery of emotions." Clearly, no boundaries can contain the unlimited ability of Wordsworth. He is endowed with versatile talent - including rapping, acting, writing, producing and performing - along with charming charisma, handsome good looks and raw star quality. Wordsworth is poised to emerge as a triple-threat crossover virtuoso with mainstream appeal and street credibility - personifying the ingenuity of Hip Hop. Wordsworth is an underground hip hop MC from Brooklyn, and a graduate of the State University of New York College at Old Westbury. Wordsworth recorded with his partner Punchline on A Tribe Called Quest's The Love Movement and on Mos Def and Talib Kweli's Black Star. He was also involved in the critically acclaimed MTV comedy sketch series Lyricist Lounge. He made his solo debut in September 2004 with Mirror Music. He also featured in a Slam Bush music video where he's hip hop "battling" a nervous George W. Bush (or at least footage of him taken from other videos).[1] Words is a member of the supergroup eMC, alongside Masta Ace, Punchline and Strick.