JI:   Well, personally, I don’t feel that the spoken-word scene is dying off. As long as you have cats like myself, Malik Yusef, Black Ice, Jessica Care Moore, Saul Williams, Dana Gilmore, Abyss, Georgia Me, Brenda Matthews, Miraaj, Shihan, Frenchie, and on, and on, and on it will never die out. Those that came before us like The Last Poets and Gil Scott-Heron are still doing there thang. Those that will come after us will knock down the doors that we chipped away at. And poetry in general will continue to grow. The strongest form of art in the world is the word, therefore, poetry will always me a major force in the arts, our culture, our history. When it comes to the industry today, a lot of “majors” might not want us to get into the door because they can’t forsee any monetary gain, but rules are meant to be broken and obstacles are made to be overcome. We’ll get over the current hurdle and with a smile on our face, we’ll sprint to the next one.

SV:  Recently, we asked people about the N-Word and other language in music that are considered to be self-destructive behavior.  What are your thoughts on this type of language and should it be banned, or simply self-monitored?

JI:  When it comes to the N-word and other words that are targeted with a negative tone, I do feel we need to limit our usage. However, I don’t feel that words should be banned. When you start banning things like words, you’re taking away our right to free speech and we have enough shackles on to begin with. Besides, we don’t censor rock groups when their lyrics speak of killing their mothers and other violent acts. No one's music is under a microscope except Black music, because they want to take it from us one way or the other, the same way they did with the rest of our music. Now, do I agree with the N-word? No I don’t. At one point I did. At one point I used the word quite fluently. But being one of words by trade, I’ve come to find that words carry a certain spirit with them. And until that negative spirit, which the N-word is rooted in, is broken I feel that we need to start chipping away at our make-over. The reason being is it’s hard to explain to a 3 year old black boy who hasn’t yet experienced racism, why some one, one day might call him a nigga and not mean it in a positive way. Slavery wasn’t that long ago. (Hell, if you look at the current state of Blacks in the penal systems in comparison to schools of higher education, you’ll see that slavery is still going on today.) And I feel that the slave mentality is still strongly attached to that word. When it’s no longer attached, if that is at all possible, us using that word might not be as much of an issue, but until then I feel we’re putting the chains right back on.  At the same time, as an adult, when one of my boys, who I know has love for me, calls me "his n-gga”. I don’t get offended, because I know where their heart is. But as a whole, where are our minds?

SV:  What can we expect in the future for J.Ivy?

JI:   In the future you can expect a lot from J. Ivy. I am currently finishing up my book “I’m Not That Good With Words,” as well as my 2nd album “LIFE after Life,” which is a part of a three part series: J. Ivy “LIFE after Life,” Tarrey Torae “SweetMilk,” and J. Torae “Mr. & Mrs. Richardson/Attack of the Good People.” Along with Tarrey Torae, J. Torae has partnered with AllState Insurance for their “Beyond February” campaign and Ford’s www.FordUrban.com campaign. We have other projects in the work as well, which folks will be able to see or hear soon.

SV:   What words of encouragement do you have for artists trying to follow their dreams?

JI:  I always like to encourage up and coming artists to never stop. Once you find your life’s mission, hold on to it, go after it, and never let anyone tell you differently. It’s not going to be easy, but don’t get discouraged. Embrace the struggle. Market yourself. Brand yourself. Set goals and finish them. Know that there’s only one you in the world and that you can make this dream whatever you want. “Dreams don’t come true, they are true!” J. Ivy

SV:  If you had to describe yourself in one sentence to the people, what would it be? 

JI:  If I could describe myself in one sentence without using a 

run-on, I would say “Poetically, J. Ivy is one of God’s 

favorites, who is trying to return the favor by listening, 

delivering, and changing lives in a positive way.”

(For more information on J. Ivy log on to www.myspace.com/jivyspace)