Ogun Lumumba, also known as Poet Deep, is an up and coming Hip Hop artist out of Baltimore, Maryland.  His name explains him perfectly.  He is a poet, who has a deep consciousness of self, his people and his purpose.  The way he expresses himself through music is impressive and what he has to say is straight from the heart as well as his mind.  He is a father, a husband, an artist, storyteller and poet.  Let us give our introduction of the man and creator Poet Deep.  Here is Part One.

We first came into contact with Poet Deep at an American Ethics Union conference that was held in Baltimore this past month.  He was part of a presentation that Hip Hop Humanism, helped to present, which was titled “Hip Hop Humanism:  The Art of Being Human”.  During this presentation Poet Deep along with other artist participated in a Hip Hop Cypher that talked about the current events, issues, strife and struggles of the Urban Community.  He captivated the crowd with his performance.  The room was silent, except when they collectively reacted to his words with sounds of delight.  Everyone hung on every word.  It was powerful.

After the meeting, we began to do more research on Poet Deep and we were not surprised by what we found.  We found a real conscious brother, father and husband whose craft came from his heart and crossed his mind before it passed through his lips.  He doesn’t seem to make “just because” music.  Everything he creates has a purpose, which first and foremost is to teach. When asked about it, he says “I’m an artist on a mission to provide practical solutions to the issues that [my] people face”.  This is definitely expressed in his track titled “People Under Siege”.  He talks about the current situation in the Urban Community.  He approaches issues head on and his lyrics are potent, informative and inspirational.

Hip Hop Humanism often talks about the powerful platform that Hip Hop has, had and will continue to have.  Poet Deep is someone who understands and respects this platform.  When talking to him about this powerful platform he replies “I realized the power Tupac’s music had over people.  I saw how artists have the ability to connect with their audience…and even play a role in how they live”.  We all can agree that Hip Hop does have that effect.  It has since its creation.  Poet Deep uses this platform to make change in the world.  He says “my music encourages involvement to fight against injustice and [encourages] endurance to withstand the downhills of life”.  For Poet Deep, music making isn’t about the dollar sign.  We should all celebrate and promote that.

Poet Deep’s ability isn’t just music, nor does he just give back to his community musically.  He also has workshops that discuss the psychological and political issues that effect and shape the Urban Community.  He has also created a piece for women who have suffered sexual abuse and trauma.  He hopes to also “propagate Black Manhood and family hood” (iampoetdeep.com, 2017).  He wants to improve the hearts, mind and lives of everyone and he knows that it starts with the children.  He thinks of his community as a whole as well as individually and leaves no one out.  His amount of care and concern is something that many lack in this day and age.  We appreciate and respect men like him and will always support him and those like him.

In Part Two of our introduction of Poet Deep, we will learn what got him started on the path he now takes, what motivates him and more about his creations and artistic expression.  We will also be publishing an interview conducted by us with Poet Deep.  For more information on the artist, please check the links below.

Hip Hop Humanism

Poet Deep: https://www.iampoetdeep.com/home

Facebook: facebook.com/iampoetdeep

Twitter:  @iampoetdeep

Sound Cloud: soundcloud.com/iampoetdeep

YouTube: youtube.com/iampoetdeep