Artist Profile: Christopher "Tranzit Thawt" Johnson

From Christopher Johnson's Famecast profile:

It has been said that Christopher Johnson's work accurately captures the heart rending portrayal of urban life...in all of its ugly glory, with a sense of a hope for a better future.

Growing up in Newark, New Jersey, Chris' "spoken word" captures stories and experiences of an urban world where complex everyday lives, move to staccato rhythms of the city without loosing the human spirituality necessary for survival. Chris moved to Trenton where he was given the nick name Transit Thought, for the broad range of real issue works he performed on street corners, train stations, high schools and colleges.

Feeling the need to grow poetically after making the 2001 Trenton Slam team, Christopher moved to Boston, MA, to attend a workshop given by The Godfather of Slam Professor Michael Brown. Johnson's raspy voice, dynamic approach to controversy, and self-reflective style earned him the 2002 Cambridge poetry Award for best Male Slam Poet. In 2004 Chris won the right to represent Boston Lizard Lounge at the first ever World Individual Poetry Slam as well as earning himself a spot on the 2004 Boston L.L. Slam team.

Now residing in Providence ,RI, Chris gives Spoken word workshops for surrounding area High Schools and after school programs as well as book features for and host a verbal arts series at the Providence Black Repertory Theatre. He has opened for acclaimed artist Ursala Rucker, Jessica Care-Moore, John Legend, Bohamadia, and as the featured poet in Black Dove Neon Soul Collective, he opened for world renowned Tortured Soul.

Christopher Johnson is the present Poet Laureate for the Black Repertory theater and has performed his "spoken word" on radio for such stations as Power 99.5 in Philadelphia, the MA Radio Network for the Blind and WMBR of the MIT campus, both in Ma. Chris has been featured in cities across the Eastern sea board and has won slams at the Urban Word in Trenton, Euphoria in Newark, Serengeti Plains in Montclair, Brenner's Brew in Bridgeton New Jersey, as well as AS220 in Rhode Island, Lizard Lounge and the Cantab, both in Boston, MA. He has given "spoken word" workshops at the Proctor Academy in Trenton and for First Light Youth Project in Lynn, MA.

You can also visit Christopher Johnson's MySpace and YouTube pages. Click here to vote.