Detroit Poet Laureate Jessica Care Moore joins the Kid L Podcast for an in-depth conversation about her journey through Detroit hip hop, poetry, publishing and the cultural movements that shaped her career.
Jessica takes us back to Detroit’s hip hop scene in the 1990s, reflecting on the Hip Hop Shop, Rhythm Kitchen and the community of rappers, poets, dancers, designers and creatives who helped establish the city’s identity. She discusses the influence of Maurice Malone and remembers being around artists including Proof, Eminem, Slum Village and J Dillabefore Detroit hip hop reached a worldwide audience.
Jessica shares memories of Eminem before fame and reflects on her close friendship with Proof, who she remembers as one of the greatest freestyle artists of his generation. She explains what made Proof special while discussing the different strengths she saw in Proof and Eminem.
She also remembers Method Man and Redman coming through Detroit and how the city’s hip hop community treated major artists differently than people might expect.
Jessica’s journey eventually took her to New York, where she became part of another historic creative community. She recalls sharing spaces with artists including Erykah Badu, Yasiin Bey and Talib Kweli before many of them became internationally recognized.
One of the defining moments of Jessica’s career came at Showtime at the Apollo, where she became the first poet to win Amateur Night and went on to win five consecutive times.
She discusses founding Moore Black Press, independently selling thousands of books and building her career before artists had social media and modern digital platforms to reach audiences.
Jessica also tells the story of working with Nas on his Nastradamus album. She remembers Nas wanting her poetry to be the first and last thing listeners heard on the project and discusses the lessons she learned about publishing, ownership and the business of being an artist.
The conversation also touches on George Clinton, India.Arie, Black Women Rock, Betty Davis, the influence of Black women in rock music and Jessica’s commitment to preserving cultural history.
From Detroit’s Hip Hop Shop era to New York’s poetry scene, the Apollo stage, independent publishing and collaborations with legendary artists, Jessica Care Moore has spent decades participating in and documenting important moments in hip hop, poetry and Black culture.
Now serving as Detroit Poet Laureate, Jessica continues to represent the city that helped shape her.
