He bridged hip-hop and poetry, became Def Jam's first signed poet, and mentored a new generation. Inside Black Ice's legacy ...

Black Ice, the legendary Philadelphia poet whose unforgettable performances on Def Poetry Jam helped elevate spoken word into the mainstream, has died, leaving behind a powerful artistic legacy.

Lamar Manson, better known by his stage name Black Ice, is widely recognized as the first poet signed to Def Jam Records and as a star of the Def Poetry Jam TV and Broadway shows. He was 54.

A Def Poetry Jam reboot is in the works and Russell Simmons is looking to tap Chance the Rapper as the show’s new host. “Super excited,” Simmons tweeted. “Been in negotiation with Chance The Rapper ...

Seventeen years after the HBO show ‘Def Poetry Jam’ went off the air, co-creator Danny Simmons is reviving the spoken word showcase in Philadelphia. Danny Simmons, creator of Def Poetry Jam, has ...

Russell Simmons made a mint peddling rap records from a dorm room in the early 80s. But these days the Def Jam label is being used to sell lots besides hip-hop: urban comedy, video games, even ...

Chance The Rapper is one of hip-hop’s hardest working artists and the Chicago rapper may now be adding another job to his resume. According to a tweet from Russell Simmons, a reboot of HBO’s Def ...