As a freshman at Clark Atlanta University, he was introduced formally to the open mic scene and his love for the art became more apparent. Upon transferring to North Carolina A&T S.U., he co-founded, The Collective, a performance art collaborative and The Artist Responsibility Movement or A.R.M which focuses on Education through Correlation, or showing students the importance of writing and how it directly relates to their life. With the mind of an engineer, the voice of a poet and the heart and soul of a visionary, Josephus III is constantly transcending barriers. As a visual artist his work has been displayed on billboards as well as on a line of prints entitled Mental Messages. As a performance artist he displays his works and talents in museums, galleries, universities, corporate settings and stage productions just to name a few. He is also a writer and columnist for The GoTriad, a North Carolina based Magazine.

 

In addition his words have been featured on greeting cards and several other collaborative works, including a quilted piece by Jacqueline Hughes Mooney for President Bill Clinton. Fusing poetry and art with passion and purpose Josephus III has released his debut CD entitled, Miracles, Acoustic Soul Poetry, a blend of spoken word poetry, acoustic melodies and soulful vocals. He is also looking to publish his first book, Prelude to a Poet that will include all the literary works that have brought him thus far. Everyday he searches for new ways to use his gifts and abilities to pursue the hopes, dreams, ambitions and purpose of his life. Josephus III, Poet, Entrepreneur, Teacher, Dreamer, Visionary, Mentor, Brother, Son.



INN THE BASEMENT:  I see that you are a master at your art...vocalizing things that are written. Having watched and enjoyed the DVD, Tribute, that featured, in my own words, the song of poetry aloud, I would like to hear from you a little more on the CD you released. Also tell us where can we purchase it?


Josephus III: The new project is called "One Thing" and it is a cd and dvd and speaks directly to the fact that we must learn to focus in our lives on one thing at a time to actually succeed. I mean to really get ahead, we must stop doing so much multi tasking and just take on step at a time in one direction, actually complete one task before tryin to start another.

http://cdbaby.com/cd/josephusiii
http://cdbaby.com/cd/josephusiii2
http://www.filmbaby.com/films/2073




INN THE BASEMENT:  Now, I recall you had a number of people with you at the Charlotte Literary Festival. Are they The Collective and how did you all meet to form such an awesome group, and do you always travel together and perform as a whole?

Josephus III:The Collective is simply the idea that life is interdependent and that it takes a little bit of what we all have to offer to make this thing called life work. I travel with the group as much as possible, but have no problem traveling and performing solo. I love music and dance and like to incorporate it into my performances in order to add as many layers as possible.


INN THE BASEMENT:  Inspiration. Josephus III, if anyone or anything, who or what has the most influence over your creative design for words and your drive for poetry and writing. It is very safe to say that your style is very unique, so did it evolve or was it just always there with you knowing that something different and fresh needed to be put out to both read and hear?

Josephus III:  My style has difenetly evolved with time. Acoustic Soul Poetry is something that developed from my love for music and wanting to mesh it with my words. Spoken word is such a diverse artform, I just wanted to add my two cents to the art. I want people to be able to see and feel it. I want my words to paint vivid pictures in peoples minds. I try to add as much color to each piece as possible whether it be an instrument or a background vocal or a dancer, I simply use whatever I have to paint my canvas.



INN THE BASEMENT:  Your book, Prelude to a Poet. Has it been released yet, and if not, when can we expect it?

As far as the book, I am just takin it one step at a time. Its pretty much done, but i want to get the dvd and cds placed and selling before i start that project.... One Thing at a time.

So just stay tuned

INN THE BASEMENT:  Thank you for checking INN THE BASEMENT and may your success continue.