Amir Sulaiman

Amir Sulaiman is a multi-Grammy-nominated poet, recording artist, Harvard Fellow, screenwriter, and producer whose work spans spoken word, hip-hop, music, and prestige television. Sulaiman’s writings are influenced by the Black Arts Movement and Amiri Baraka. While earning a Bachelor of Arts in English at North Carolina A&T State University, Sulaiman began performing at spoken word forums on college campuses, coffeehouses, and bookstores. His poetry draws from hip-hop lyricism and explores themes of love, tragedy, and the complexities of humanity in contemporary society.

Sulaiman gained national recognition through his appearances on Russell Simmons’ series "Def Poetry Jam" on HBO. His poetry led to scrutiny by the FBI, resulting in his placement on a "no-fly" list, which further motivated his artistic pursuits. Mos Def, host of "Def Poetry Jam," invited Sulaiman to join the Breed Love Odyssey tour. In music, Sulaiman released a trilogy of spoken-word albums—"The Meccan Openings," "The Medinan Openings," and "The Opening"—as well as the poetry collection "Love, Gnosis & Other Suicide Attempts."

The album "8:46," created with Dave Chappelle, received a Grammy nomination and recognition from Variety and USA Today. Sulaiman’s subsequent album, "You Will Be Someone's Ancestor. Act Accordingly," with Robert Glasper, also earned a Grammy nomination. Sulaiman and Glasper performed their song "In Tune" on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon." Sulaiman has performed across the United States and internationally, including in England, Belgium, Senegal, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Australia, Iran, and the Netherlands.

In film and television, Sulaiman has writing and producing credits on series such as "Ramy" for Hulu and has contributed to projects for Marvel, Disney+, and HBO, including "Ironheart." Sulaiman wrote the "Ironheart" episode "Bad Magic" and served as a supervising producer on the series. His work for Marvel, Disney+, Hulu, and HBO has received Emmy, Golden Globe, and Peabody nominations. Sulaiman continues to develop projects that support the poetry industry through his company True+Living Media. His career reflects a focus on the intersection of art, faith, and social justice within poetry, music, and television.