Master of Ceremonies
SHIHAN THE POET
“Shihan has proved a word merchant whose currency is
honesty.”
LA Times
“...one of the evening's funniest and least PC performances, Shihan's
infomercial-like "Negro Auction Network"
Washington Post
“On his debut album The Poet Shihan shifts gracefully between hip hop and
traditional a capellas, layering crisp beats with pointed lyrics…”
XLR8R Magazine
A Lower East Side of New York City native, Shihan began his writing career in 1989, when he received a full scholarship to the Williston North Hampton School in Massachusetts for creative writing. In 1993, Shihan was signed to MCA Records as an artist/writer. Shihan went on to write for the NBA Jam Session series as well as creating the theme for Reebok's ' Blacktop' campaign. Shihan has found work writing for the very popular Schoolhouse Rocks compilation series. Also, co-writing one of MTV's most popular Rock The Vote campaigns ' Tic Toc.'
Shihan is undoubtedly one of the most dynamic spoken word artists of our generation. This National Poetry Slam Champion (2004) and National Poetry Slam Finalist(2nd in 2001, 5th in 2003 and 3rd in 2005) has been featured on a variety of media outlets including 7 appearances on 6 seasons of HBO’s Def Poetry, NBC, Oprah Winfrey’s Oxygen Network, Al Gore’s Current TV, Nike’s Battlegrounds, Reebok, Adidas, NBA, CNN, Artisan Films’ Belly DVD, Complex and Billboard Magazine, several national commercial spots, 5 National Tours including the Tony Award Winning Russell Simmons presents Def Poetry Jam International Tour and 2 upcoming Spoken Word documentaries with theatrical releases, SP!T and the sequel to 1997’s cult doc Slam Nation, Slam Planet. His abilities to transcend cultural and generational boundaries have made Shihan a much sought after talent. Shihan has been co-hosting Da' Poetry Lounge, the nation's largest open mic in Hollywood for the past 8 years and he recently wrapped up touring as a cast member in the Def Poetry Jam 3.0 International Tour. His debut CD 'The Poet' has sold over 4000 copies in the U.S. In 2005, Shihan became the 1st poet to have a poem named ‘download of the week’ on iTunes.com.
Shihan has written for hair cosmetic giant Sebastian International and their 2002 Escape Mediocrity Tour which brought Shihan's words to 4 countries and translated into 3 languages. Shihan was also the spoken word/host of the show which was described as a cross between the Matrix, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Cirque de Soleil. Shihan lent his spoken word talents to soft drink giant Pepsi for their 'Slam' national television and radio campaigns, which he co-wrote. Shihan toured the country as the 'Street Poet' for the Nike Battlegrounds One-on-One Tournament.
