Felicia Morris, better known by her stage name, The Poetess, is an American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

and

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

personality.

Career

Morris made her radio debut at the age of five on KDIA-AM, a soul station in the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

, where her father,

Johnny Morris Johnny or Johnnie Morris may refer to: * Johnnie Morris (actor) (1887–1969), American comedian and actor *Johnny Morris (television presenter) (1916–1999), British television presenter * Johnny Morris (footballer) (1923–2011), English footbal ...

, worked as a disc jockey. She later moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and got her first broadcasting experience as a co-host on Bailey Broadcasting's nationally syndicated "Hip Hop Countdown and Report". Since 1989, she has appeared regularly on the radio as an authority on black music. Morris directed her long-term interest in poetry into writing rap songs, and was offered a recording contract with Poetic Groove/

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

in 1992. Her debut album ''Simply Poetry'' featured guest appearances from

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. Known for his work in both the screen and music industries, his accolades include an Academy Award, a Grammy Award ...

Def Jef Def Jef is the stage name of Jeffrey Fortson (born September 27, 1970), an American alternative hip hop musician and rapper of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was born in Harlem, New York City. His debut album was 1989's '' Just a Poet wi ...

and

Kool G. Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Cre ...

. The first single from the album, "Love Hurts", made the Top 10 on

The Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco, California, San Francisco-based radio industry Trade journal, trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by Radio p ...

's Rap Radio Charts. Morris joined the staff of Los Angeles station KKBT/92.3 The Beat (later 100.3 The Beat) in 1994. As a DJ she introduced the music of

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

and

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American musician. She is celebrated as one of the most influential musical artists of her generation. Hill is credited with breaking barriers for female rappers, contributing to the popular music, m ...

, and conducted interviews with various musicians and celebrities. She subsequently became the community affairs director for 100.3 The Beat, discussing issues such as gang violence, economic empowerment and health awareness, and organizing voter registration drives, school supply give-a-ways, community rallies, and health awareness campaigns. Morris left KKBT-FM Los Angeles in 2007 after 13 years, and a year later joined The Foxxhole on

Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...

radio, a comedy and entertainment network executive produced by

. Morris served as co-host and mistress of information on The Jamie Foxx Show, and produced ''The

Sheryl Underwood Sheryl Patrice Underwood (born October 28, 1963) is an American comedian, actress and television host. She first rose to prominence in the comedy world as the first female finalist in 1989's Miller Lite Comedy Search. Underwood was one of the hos ...

Show'', ''5150 Show'' with Corey Holcomb, ''Voice of Reason'' with Zo Williams, and ''The Foxxhole Comedy Corner''. Morris is currently the owner of Morris Media Studios, a professional podcast studio in Los Angeles.

Discography

*1992: Simply Poetry by The Poetess (debut album) *1994: Peep This by Jamie Foxx (rap on Dog House)

References

External links

*http://bayarearadio.org/audio/kdia/ *http://www.allmusic.com/album/simply-poetry-mw0000081282 *http://www.looklaugh.com/listen/radio-station/the-foxxhole-cast.html *http://www.foxxhole.tv/cast-and-crew/the-poetess.html

External links

* http://www.thepoetess.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Poetess, The African-American women rappers African-American radio personalities Living people 21st-century American rappers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century African-American musicians