Some people find their purpose deliberately. Others stumble upon it. For Prince Amoako, spoken word poetry was not on his radar — it was a surprise that he says became a blessing almost 10 years ago, while he was still a student at Humber Polytechnic.
He happened to be with a group of friends when one of them, a writer, was approached and asked to join a spoken word showcase.
“I was like, you know what, let me just try it out as well. He said yes. I was like, oh, this felt nice to kind of share and write, and then that (led) to a lot of different opportunities that I didn't expect,” he said.
Those opportunities included Toronto Poetry Slam, a well-known spoken word competition, and Amoako credits them with providing training workshops that helped him hone his craft.
He initially attended the poetry slam “just for therapy, just to share,” and ended up making the team and competing.
“I didn't think that I would get paid to write a poem,” Amoako said. “The concept of getting paid to write a poem or poetry was foreign to me.”
Amoako is a rapper and a spoken word artist. He said that poetry came first, but “they are very intertwined with each other.”
“I think (spoken word) poetry is just another form of hip hop,” he said. “Spoken word is the words without the music. And then when you add the music to it, then you add more rhythm and flow to it, then it becomes a rap.”
Amoako graduated from Humber with a Bachelor of Social Science in Criminal Justice. He feels the program helped him to better understand himself and identify ways to contribute to the betterment of his community.
He recalled being in a class discussion and coming to the realization that outsiders do not really understand how to navigate certain situations in his community. As an insider, he is better placed to help his own people.
He said he likes the idea of using his art as a way to express the needs of his community.
“And the opportunities I've gotten to do that (were) pretty cool," Amoako said.
On hiatus from performing since COVID, Amoako continues to write poetry. Common themes in his works are family, love, healing, trauma, joy and his community.
“Sometimes I might be talking to someone in conversation, and then they might spark off some inspiration for something, and I just write their story,” he said.
Although he receives many requests to perform, for now, Amoako is focused on learning the business.
“It's easy to say you want to perform and be an artist and have fun, but it's like, if you want to transition from just being a performing artist and make it into a career, you need to understand, like, the business side of it and how it works,” he said.
Amoako works for Humber Polytechnic as a program facilitator with Black Student Support and Engagement. The BSSE’s mission is to provide community, empowerment and leadership to Black-identifying students. This was evident in their Jan. 20 seminar, which Amoako facilitated.
The seminar, entitled “Community Conversations: Hip Hop and Identity: A Personal Journey into Voice, Authenticity, and Power,” hosted about 20 students and staff members in a lively discussion, sharing their life experiences, struggles and their love for the genre.
“Hip Hop music, and the arts in general, give people the space to express themselves freely, down to how they speak, how they rap, how they create, even how they dress and express themselves,” Amoako said.
