George Watsky, the 23-year-old spoken-word artist behind the show Where the Magic Happens, launched to slam poetry stardom for his original writing and performance style, churning out verses that are serious, emotional, hilarious and moving. Watsky was featured on HBO's Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry and won the 2006 Youth Speaks Grand Slam Poetry Championship. The wordsmith's beats focus on personal experiences that include humor and heart, making his poetry easily relatable. Watsky clearly connects to audiences, and shines most when he involves the crowd in his rhymes. He unites the masses through the multiple layers of his poems, speaking in a quick, sharp rant that intermingles with his everyday speech.
Watsky graduated from Emerson College in 2010 and was featured on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” earlier this year, when he performed a modified version of his YouTube phenomenon “Pale kid raps fast,” a video sensation that has been viewed more than 13 million times. Watsky also has a hip-hop album, titled Watsky, that blends unique humor and fast-paced, lovable lyrics. Robert Redford, in an introduction of Watsky, called his performances “powerful.”
This versatile young performer will showcase his original material at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center on Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
