In a cultural landscape often dominated by fleeting trends, K Love The Poet stands as a testament to the enduring power of artistic authenticity. As she prepares for her upcoming performance with hip hop legend MC Lyte, the Chicago born spoken word artist reflects on the spiritual foundations and musical influences that have shaped her distinct voice.
“I bow to it before I write,” she says of spirituality’s role in her creative process. This reverence for something greater than herself permeates her work, creating a bridge between entertainment and enlightenment that has resonated with audiences across the country.
The spiritual underpinning of poetic expression
When asked about the role spirituality plays in her artistry, K Love does not hesitate: “The foundation.” This simple declaration speaks volumes about her approach to spoken word, which she sees not merely as a performance but as a sacred responsibility.
“Before when I first started doing poetry, I was mostly known as a Christian poet or a gospel poet,” she explains. “In more recent days I will more so consider myself an artist whose foundation is spiritual, not necessarily religious, but very much so spiritual.”
This distinction between spirituality and religion gives her work a universal quality, allowing her to connect with diverse audiences while remaining true to her core beliefs. “I do feel like this is a God given gift above all, so I treat it like it is sacred,” she continues. “I do feel like I am here to get a message across that my ancestors gave me to give.”
Her sense of purpose extends beyond self expression to the impact her words can have on others. “Some people will not be liberated until they hear you say it,” she observes. “They might have heard their mama say it, they might have heard a cousin say it, they might have heard another poet say it, but it is something about the vibration on your voice and your sincerity that is going to move them.”
Hip hop as poetic foundation
Perhaps surprisingly to those unfamiliar with her work, K Love cites hip hop artists as her primary influences. “When I am talking about who I am influenced by, I start saying rappers before I say poets,” she admits with a smile.
Her introduction to poetry came through Tupac Shakur’s “The Rose That Grew from Concrete,” a collection she sought out because she loved him as a rapper. This connection between hip hop and poetry has informed her artistic development from the beginning.
“I am definitely naming Tupac. I am definitely naming Lauryn Hill. I am definitely putting Jay Z on there,” she says when listing her influences. Only after these does she mention the canonical poets: “That is my poetry goal, right. Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni and Gwendolyn Brooks.”
Her appreciation for hip hop runs deep, extending to its technical aspects. “From the writing it takes to the passion that you emit to the skill that it takes to ride the beat,” she marvels. “Do not even get me talking about the ability to freestyle and connect thoughts and all of that. So that is just that. And then going into breath control when performing, and all of the other elements of it, and then being a woman in hip hop on top of that.”
This respect for the craft makes her upcoming performance with MC Lyte particularly meaningful. The opportunity arose after K Love’s video “Do a New Thing” went viral and caught the hip hop legend’s attention. “It was not even 24 hours, MC Lyte herself DM’d me on Instagram and was like, I need your management information,” she recalls, still sounding somewhat amazed at the connection.
The Chicago influence
Chicago itself represents the third significant influence on K Love’s development as an artist. Born to parents from the city’s West and South sides, she describes her relationship with Chicago in familial terms.
“I describe Chicago to people like your mean grandma,” she says. “She gonna cut you out. But she gonna feed you, though, too.” This balance of toughness and nurturing reflects her understanding of the city’s complex character, with its challenges of violence and “recklessness” offset by strong community engagement and “progressive movements that are going forth to help our people.”
Even after relocating to Baltimore, K Love maintains deep connections to Chicago. “People are willing to, and that that really tells you something as an artist when you relocate and your city keeps flying you back to do things,” she notes. “You know there is other people there that could. But maybe they cannot, because it is for you, and you are supposed to.”
Her devotion to the city will be on full display on March 31, 2025, when she headlines her own show at City Winery dedicated to “tributing women of Chicago that have impacted me in one way or another.”
Finding purpose through poetry
K Love’s journey to becoming a spoken word artist was not straightforward. As a child of young parents who married as teenagers, she initially expected to follow a similar life path focused on early marriage and family.
“I wanted to meet my sweetheart as a teenager and start a family,” she recalls. “I was not career oriented, if you will. I was more love oriented as a young girl.” Instead, her path led to poetry, which became a vehicle for her deeper purpose.
“I am created to nurture, love, uplift, care for, breathe life into people who do not feel like there is anything worth living, to be a friend to the friendless,” she explains. “That is my real gift. Everything else is a vehicle to do more of that.”
This sense of purpose manifested early. At 11 years old, she would gather neighborhood children every Saturday, combing their hair, taking them to the library, and defending them from bullies. “These are not your children, little girl. You are my child,” her mother would remind her.
When New Year’s Eve 2002 brought her to Giovanni’s on 147th, where she witnessed spoken word performances, something clicked. “As soon as I walked in, I honestly said, ‘Oh, I can do this for the rest of my life,'” she remembers. By February 2003, she had returned to perform, beginning a journey that continues to this day.
Healing through “Million Dollar Melanin”
The transformative power of her work is perhaps best exemplified by her viral poem “Million Dollar Melanin,” which addresses colorism and celebrates Black beauty. Written initially to empower her mother who had struggled with being dark skinned, the poem resonated far beyond her immediate circle.
“I wrote this to heal a part of them,” she says, referring to her mother and a cousin who had similar experiences. “And I had no idea that it would reach in a way that it did. It actually even transcended other nationalities.”
This healing dimension of her work connects directly to her spiritual foundation. When a fellow Chicago artist recently connected her with someone whose life had been changed by K Love’s poetry, she recognized it as part of something larger. “Moments like that just remind me again and again, like this is bigger than me,” she reflects. “This is bigger than me, and how you, stepping into your calling, liberate someone else.”
Looking toward the future
As she prepares for her performances at City Winery, both opening for MC Lyte on March 14 and headlining on March 31, K Love is also expanding her horizons. After 22 years away from formal education, she has reenrolled in school and is in her second semester.
Her future plans include expanding her children’s book series and developing online classes based on her poetry curricula. But whatever form her work takes, the underlying purpose remains constant, “You can consistently expect teaching, reaching, loving, nurturing, uplifting, creating spaces for people to process their trauma using poetry,” she promises. “I will be anywhere the love is needed.”
For those seeking to experience her work firsthand, tickets for both March performances are available now. And while the stages may grow larger and the audiences more diverse, K Love remains grounded in the spiritual foundation and sense of purpose that have guided her journey thus far.
“This is a God given gift above all, so I treat it like it is sacred,” she says. In an era of commodified art and manufactured personas, this sacred approach to creativity may be her most powerful message of all.
Visit K Love The Poet at www.klovethepoet.com or connect with her on Instagram and Facebook.
