,

Black Spoken Word Artist Becomes 1st Ever Poet to Win America’s Got Talent

As a poet and spoken word artist myself, I can appreciate someone with a wicked pen game and great delivery. Suggested Reading After Customer Got Caught In A Hilarious Braid Shop Brawl, She Recorded The Whole Thing Heartfelt Twist for “The Wire’s” Tray Chaney After Son’s Tornado Scare Meghan Markle Breaks Her Silence On Her…

As a poet and spoken word artist myself, I can appreciate someone with a wicked pen game and great delivery.

Video will return here when scrolled back into view

In fact, I am not the only spoken word artist and poet on The Root staff.

Perhaps you’ve heard of Michael Harriot, our resident Wypipologist, master race-baiter and the last real Negus alive. Try not to cry as you watch him perform “The Top Secret Recipe for Aunt Phyllis’ Fried Chicken.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvqXS7p82Jo

And then there is Zack Linly, the champion roaster of racists everywhere. Listen to him speak on his experience with therapy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_gdihKvfhc

I don’t have many videos performing spoken word, but I do have a video of myself performing the “For the D” challenge, so that’s what you get today.

On Wednesday night, 27-year-old Brandon Leake became the season 15 winner and the first-ever spoken word artist to take home the big prize on America’s Got Talent.

Leake is also the first spoken word artist to appear on the show, and during the two-hour season finale, he said “This is a huge win for the spoken-word community. For an art form that has not been on the mainstream ever to have a chance to win ‘America’s Got Talent’ is bigger than anything,” CNN reports.

For his win, Leake will receive $1 million and will headline a future AGT show in Las Vegas.

The boy got talent, OK?

Here’s a poem he performed for his daughter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0WMtt5iL04

Here’s a poem he performed dedicated to his absent father.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABZSFeWexao

Here’s one he did about Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Jacob Blake and George Floyd

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuwwSYZyu2w

Yes, America’s Got Talent—and that talent is Black people.

Good job, Brandon.

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.