5 Remarkable Youth Slam Poets That Will Blow Your Mind

The youth slam poetry culture may be stronger than its ever been.

There are hundreds of groups around the nation, and even globally, that support the spoken words of teens and even younger demographics. 

Slam poetry is a positive step toward building a better nation, and we're starting them young.

We're giving them voices as an alternative to, well...let's just say 'other trouble'.

​The world should know that the opinion and the feelings of every kid around matters and can make a difference. Slam poetry is a forum where they can be heard; in many instances and thanks to the internet, their words and voices are heard by millions. Call it a revolution? Maybe. I say its a start.

Here are some slam poems I came across from our nation's youth that really impacted me - I hope you feel the force and passion these young poets have.
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5 Astounding Slam Poems From Our Nation's Youth

1. Gabriel Ramirez - 1st place in the 2012 Knicks Poetry Slam, NYC
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Gabriel has some serious passion, and he brings it home with some serious words, lines and verses. Poets - take a note from this kid's book! Apart from his words, he's mastered the art of becoming the subject of his poem through performance. His stage presence is magnificent.

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2. Savannah Brown

Here's what Savannah had to say about this amazing poem on YouTube:

TO EVERYONE THAT THINKS I HATE MEN:
This poem is not meant to target or blame men. The title is in reference to the video the poem was inspired by, and I kept it as that to show that within society, we always assume there to be a clear persecutor and victim, men and women respectively (which is obviously being shown in the comments section now), but that is not always the case. Everyone is affected by standards, be it men, women, or however else you identify yourself. I made sure to keep this poem as gender-neutral as possible, apart from the portions in which I was speaking in first person, obviously, and I made sure I addressed both standards of male and female beauty (girls soft quiet pretty / boys manly muscles pretty). I'm on your side, boys! Expectations are detrimental to all of us and my work is relevant to you regardless of your gender. 

​3. Siaara Freeman - part of the Button Poetry team, so you know it's gonna be good!

The piece that Siarra throws down here hits me in all the right spots. A great idea for slam poetry might be to take an incident or topic that's used in slam, but write about it from a completely different point of view. In this case, Siarra isn't the one selling or using the drugs, but she's immersed in the scene daily. The brutal honesty, naivety, and cold facts that come out here are shocking and intriguing.

​4. Kioni "Popcorn" Marshall - This young girl is an unbelievable wordsmith and poet; keep you eye on here, she's a prodigy

This daughter of a minister has seen a lot. But she doesn't box it up and let it fester; she channels her views, perspective and thoughts through some of the most emotion-evoking prose you've ever heard.

​5. Hiwot Adilow - go on girl, tell 'em how you feel! DAMN!

​Hiwot tackles social issues, race, life, stereotypes and shares her perspective on what its like to grow up with her ethnicity; but more importantly, this poem is about strength. This is about letting the world know who you are, what you stand for and what you won't tolerate. Simply sensational piece!
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Other content you might enjoy based on this: 

Funny Slam Poetry Videos

Some of the Best Slam Poets on the Internet & YouTube

photo courtesyBlack Youth Project