George Watsky is an American poet turned rapper who has now published his first book. In 2009, he released his same-name debut mixtape, and mostly recently released the album "x infinity" earlier this year. Despite having a near sold out tour and having his album reach number four on the Billboard rap chart, he hasn't always been known for his rap.Watsky began as a slam poet specializing in spoken word. Spoken word is a form of poetry written to be performed rather than read. It emphasizes rhyme scheme and wordplay, and to have an overall appeal to the ear. At the age of 18, he became the "bay state champion", winning nearly a dozen slams in 2005 before his team placed fourth in the national championship that same year. In 2006, he featured on the sixth season od Def Poetry on HBO. That year he also won placed first at the National Youth Poetry Slam in San Francisco.
Leading up to 2009, Watsky had begun to pick up a following on YouTube, where he began to release his first rap songs, including "Headphones" and "Who's Been Loving You?. Watsky had always loved rap, but had never considered it to be a career path for him. He began rapping in middle school, using it as a way to combat his awkward social skills. Whether it be battle rapping a teacher he didn't like, or stealing the mic from a DJ at a middle school dance to free style, he was always looking for an excuse to show off. After a few successful songs on YouTube, he released his first mixtape "Watsky".
Watsky's big break came in 2010, when a video titled "Pale kid raps fast" went viral, exposing him to a much larger crowd, and gaining him steady popularity. To this day he acknowledges that this video was the catalyst of his career, saying it's "probably the only reason I'm here". He achieved a large enough of a fan base to have a tour to accompany his 2012 mixtape "Nothing like the First Time".
Later that year, he signed a record deal with Steel Wool Media, a label which would let him keep many of the rights of an independent artist.
In 2016, he released "x infinity", as he tour for the album is currently in progress. He still incorporates spoken word into his music today, with songs like "Never Let it Die" and "Springtime in New York". His raps reflects many of the same aspects of his poetry, a dedication to wordplay and clever rhyming.
I love the story of Watsky almost as much as I love his music. To me, a poet becoming a rapper illustrates that rap can truly be an art form. Exploiting the devices of language is a unique skill, and there are few who do it better than Watsky. I look forward to attending his concert in Boston later this month.
I love this post. I wrote with the purpose of portraying rap as an art. Very often (do to mainstream rap about money, women , ect.) the word "rap" has a negative connotation. By comparing rap to poetry, I hope to convince the reader that rap can be something beautiful. I used George Watsky as my medium for making my point. I think this post was effective because it drew a connection between poetry and rap in a way most people won't see.
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