Hip-Hop/R&B
Def Poetry Reunion
About This Event
Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam — the platform that brought spoken word into the Hip-Hop and R&B conversation on New York stages and later on television — presents a reunion at NJPAC that returns to that format. Built around a rotating lineup of poets, the program foregrounds voice, rhythm, and lived testimony over theatrical production, favoring direct address and audience proximity as part of the work.
About the Artist
Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam
Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam is a performance platform that brought spoken word into the Hip-Hop and R&B conversation, first on New York stages and later to television. Built around rotating lineups, it foregrounds poets as working performers, shaped by club culture, emceeing, and literary craft.