Marcellus Nealy: Legend of Spoken Word
This episode is dedicated to Marcellus’ mother and Mr O. Marcellus shares his journey from extreme poverty in his childhood in Ohio to making it to Japan and becoming a lyricist and performer for Dreams Come True, a hugely successful Japanese music group. With many challenges and overt racism along the way, we hear how Marcellus never let that stop him from being the person he wanted to be and how with his ingenuity and creativity mixed in with a bit of magic and opportunity he is where he is today.
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In this episode you’ll hear:
- How Marcellus’ life was changed by one dinner with someone he had never met before
- How Marcellus came to Japan and encountered overt racism in the job market
- The narrow escape from the Korean mafia and finding his way to working with Dreams Comes True, a very famous Japanese music group
- The Umoja project and Marcellus gives us a reading of his moving poem, I am.
About Marcellus
Although he has been writing poetry since he was eight years old, Marcellus found his poetic voice in the mid-1990s on a small stage in Tokyo, at the popular British pub, What the Dickens. From there, he dove full-on into the world of spoken word.
He is the winner of several international poetry slams and has been invited to perform globally at well known events like the Montreal Jazz Festival, Heineken Greenroom Festival in
Singapore, and the globally televised charity event Live 8, which over 1 billion people viewed. He has also made several appearances on the highest rated Japanese television show, Kohaku Uta Gassen, with Japan’s most legendary pop band, DREAMS COME TRUE. He spent an eight-year residency with the band as a lyricist, rapper, spoken word performer, and
background vocalist. He is also an accomplished photographer who has won several awards, including a top prize in Ron Howard’s “Imagine8” global photo contest, sponsored by Canon.
Currently, Marcellus works as a narrator and announcer for NHK, and holds the position of associate professor of English at a prestigious university in Tokyo.
Connect with Marcellus
Website: https://www.marcellusnealy.com/
Links
What the Dickens pub: http://www.whatthedickens.jp/
Connect with Sarah
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