Jasiri X facts for kids

Jasiri X (born Jasiri Oronde Smith) is an American rapper and activist. He became well-known for his 2007 song "Free the Jena 6." He has received the Rauschenberg Artist as Activist award. He also helped start 1Hood, a group that works to stop violence. In 2016, he was given an honorary doctorate from the Chicago Theological Seminary. This is a special degree given to honor someone's achievements.

Growing Up

Jasiri X was born Jasiri Oronde Smith in Chicago, Illinois. In the 1980s, he moved to Monroeville, Pennsylvania with his mother. He went to Gateway High School and finished when he was 16.

He wanted to become a lawyer. He started college at the University of Maryland. Later, he went to the University of Pittsburgh, but he did not finish his college degree.

His Work

After leaving school, Jasiri started performing spoken word poetry. He first performed as Jo Smith. He also became an activist, which means he worked to bring about social or political change.

He joined the Nation of Islam in 1997. A year later, he met Louis Farrakhan. In 2005, Jasiri became a minister at a mosque in Wilkinsburg.

Jasiri X makes music about important social and political topics. Some of his songs include "Free the Jena 6" from 2007. After George Zimmerman's killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012, he released "Trayvon." He also made songs like "Do We Need to Start a Riot?" and "What if the Tea Party was Black?" He encourages other hip-hop artists to sing about these issues too.

In 2010, he released his first album, American History X. His second album, Ascension, came out in 2013. It was released with a record label called Wandering Worx.

In 2013, Jasiri X visited the State of Palestine and Israel. He went with other artists and activists. He saw how people lived there and the challenges they faced. After his trip, Jasiri made a music video for his song "Checkpoint." The video shows what he saw, like Israeli soldiers and news clips.

In 2015, he released Black Liberation Theology. This album featured other artists like David Banner. Jasiri X has said that artists like Nas, Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Lauryn Hill, Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., Public Enemy, and KRS-One have influenced his music.

Jasiri X also has a show on YouTube called "This Week with Jasiri X." He supports net neutrality. This means he wants to make sure everyone, especially people with lower incomes, can easily access the internet.

In 2006, he helped start 1Hood. This group works to prevent violence. It also has a media academy. There, young Black boys learn to understand media and create their own content.

Awards and Special Recognition

• 2015: He received the "Artist as Activist" fellowship from the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation.
• 2015: He was named a USA Fellow. This award gives $50,000 to artists who are creative and have a big impact in their field.
• 2015: The Open Society Foundation asked him to create a film. This film was about how the drug war affects South America.
• 2016: He received an honorary doctorate from the Chicago Theological Seminary.

See also

• Conscious hip-hop
• Black Lives Matter