Kamau Daáood

Kamau Daa’ood is a legendary, award winning and critically acclaimed spoken word poet, educator and community arts activist from Los Angeles, California. For nearly 5 decades, Kamau Daa’ood, who is recognized by many as a word musician, has been bringing crowds to their feet with his dynamic performance style and skillful wordplay. And as captivating and thought provoking as his poetry is, one cannot fully experience the wholeness or fullness of his artistic contributions until you see him actually perform his work. His spirited and fiery delivery…his deep baritone voice…both smooth and raspy…and the passion in which he aims to heal and speak truth to power with his art, pales in comparison. Add the element of live instrumentation, which Daa’ood prefers, and you have spoken word magic! 

As a teenager in the late 1960’s, Kamau Daa’ood joined the Watts Writers Workshop and the Pan African People’s Arkestra, Although he had been dabbling in writing since Junior high school, this officially kicked off his journey into being serious about this artform. He was a natural and people took notice right away. At the age of 18, he was asked to move to New York and join The Last Poets. He declined the offer, and chose to stay put and hone his craft locally…as did his mentor, Horace Tapscott. Daa’ood once said “to live and work in a community and to be known for that work, is very dignified.”  As the years passed, however, Kamau Daa’ood organically gained notoriety outside of his local foundation. He developed an underground following on the west coast first, but soon grew his fan base beyond these U.S. Borders…to many places such as Somalia, Egypt, Holland and France, where he has been blessed to perform his work.

This griot…a pioneer of the spoken word movement, has been credited with being instrumental in transforming the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles into the cultural mecca it is today and a major driving force behind Los Angeles’ Black cultural renaissance. His presence and work in the area, dedication to the community, along with co-founding The World Stage…a place for poets, singers, rappers and musicians to collaborate, all contributed to the respect and reverence he has earned in and around the Leimert area.

In the early 90’s, Kamau Daa’ood opened a vintage record store in the heart of Leimert Park, Final Vinyl. This collectible record shop housed some of the most rare and sought after wax and vinyl in the world. This was during a time when sampling in Hip Hop was at it’s peak. Countless hip hop artist and producers came thru the store when the doors were open such as: The Beatnuts, Biz Markie, Tupac Shakur, Freestyle Fellowship, Cash Money and Marvelous, and Digable Planets to name a few. Ultimately, a Hip Hop legend and arguably one of the best producers in the game, Dr. Dre, visited the store and purchased all of the vinyl before the doors closed for good several years later..

Kamau Daa’ood is the author of two books of poetry, Ascension and The Language of Saxophones and he released one spoken word CD entitled, “Leimert Park”. He was also the subject of an award-winning documentary, Life is a Saxophone. His work has been translated into multiple languages and he has shared the stage with the likes of Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Horace Tapscott, Kumasi Washington, Gil Scott Heron, The Last Poets and countless others.

Kamau Daa’ood’s impact on the Art’s culture in Los Angeles and around the world is undeniable. From young to old, he is respected for his talent and Life’s work. With the introduction and popularity of hip hop over the last 30 plus years, Kamau Daa’ood’s ability to bridge the gap between generations is more than evident. He has always respected Hip Hop culture and has mentored many local hip hop artists over the years. And when people have tried to draw a parallel to his type of spoken word and Hip Hop, he never tried to distance himself or diminish this emerging art form. Instead he said this…

“We are dipping from the same creative pool, with different types of filters.”

Kamau Daa’ood’s oldest son and nephew got bit by the writer’s bug also and are content creators as well. 

These days…when he is not travelling the world or creating his next masterpiece, Kamau Daa’ood can be found spending quality time with his beautiful wife and family. He has 5 children and 12 grandchildren and is still living in the Los Angeles area. He is still a prominent figure around the Leimert area and continues to write, inspire and perform all over the globe. 

A living legend!

Thank you Mr. Daa’ood for your contributions to our people and our culture!.We love you and we salute you!

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