In a small room, a young man stands with his eyes closed and head bowed.
He slides his hand up and down his head, takes a deep breath and then walks to the microphone.
“In Japanese culture, reaching 88 years in age is a lifetime accomplishment.”
The words flow from his mouth as if he is speaking to a close friend. He continues to speak, and with a quivering voice, reveals the subject of his story.
“Dear Grandma, from the bottom of my heart,” he begins.
23-year-old poet and lyricist George Yamazawa has been writing poetry—as well as rap lyrics—since he was young and says that although some of his poems are about love and other little moments in life, most of his poems focus on his family “because that’s where everything starts.”
Yamazawa wrote the poem “Dear Grandma,” which he describes as his “signature poem,” because it began his writing about Asian-American identity and family.
In 2010, Yamazawa performed his poem “Dear Grandma” for the first time at a Brave New Voices event in Los Angeles.
The inspiration for the poem came in the middle of the night when Yamazawa’s elderly grandmother woke him three times. Each time she asked if he had eaten and he answered that he had. Yet because of her old age, her memory was weak and she continued to wake him until he gave in and let her feed him.
“She just wanted to feed me some rice balls to know that I was okay,” Yamazawa said. “That’s when I realized that a grandmother holds so much nourishment for people. So I just sat there and wrote a poem.”
Today, Yamazawa is a successful spoken word artist, traveling around the country performing at many poetry events and colleges.
He was selected by the Spotlight Programs Board to not only perform but also to host Georgia State’s first House of Blue musical concert, which has the goal of being a “culturally diverse explosion of rock, country, rhythm and blues, acoustic and hip hop.”
“We needed a host, so what better than for him to host and throw some spoken word into it,” shared Spotlight Programs’ president Chauncey Walker on booking Yamazawa.
Yamazawa’s unique artistry along with the belief that he would bring a special flavor to the show made him one of the four chosen performers at the House of Blue concert.
Along with Yamazawa, members from Spotlight chose Natalie Stovall and the Drive, Suite 709 and Rayvon Owen, because they felt these artists embodied the cultural diversity to which the show seeks to expose the audience.
“When you meet him, he’s very cultured, and he loves the hip hop and R&B; world and he incorporates that into his spoken word,” Walker said about Yamazawa.
Being raised in South Carolina by Japanese immigrants, Yamazawa did not always hear American-style music like rhythm and blues or pop playing around his house. It wasn’t until his older sister dated a guy who he says “knew the ins and outs of hip-hop” that he started saturating himself in hip-hop.
“I learned [hip-hop] from him and then I started rapping. Then when I was a freshman I ran into a poetry club and they were studying Tupac’s lyrics, and that’s when I made the connection between poetry and hip hop. That’s where it kind of all started.”
This year, Yamazawa has a lot more free time on his hands and hopes to spend that time in the studio making hip-hop music.
And he is no stranger to the music production process. In 2011, he posted a music video on his official Youtube channel for his song “Ridin’ Along.”
When writing a poem versus writing a rap, Yamazawa said that his poems carry more emotional truth, which is one of the reasons he wanted to switch his focus from spoken word to producing music.
“Making music is more fun than writing poems. Writing poems gets heavy, but hip hop is just fun. I’m ready to have fun again.”
That’s one of the reasons why Yamazawa is excited to perform at the House of Blue. Although he does have some nervousness about hosting the show, he plans on trying to make people laugh and have a good time.
“I like laughing. I like being goofy when I’m on stage; it’s important for people to see what you’re like.”
Through “Dear Grandma,” his poetry and his rap lyrics, Yamazawa expresses his desire to become a strong, confident member of society.
“I’m 23 now. I’m still just kind of learning what it is to be a man; what it means to be a lover, what it means to be a contributor to society. I got a lot of learning to do.”
