Warrior (Michael Bonds) G.R.I.O.T.
Born and raised in "the bury," Roxbury, the roughest "hood" in Boston.
Michael "Warrior" Bonds is the: Ghetto Representative Interpreting Our Thoughts. This artist's brand of
poetry is powerful. His words flow off his tongue naturally. At times it seems he is holding a personal
conversation with you, holding the collective attention hostage, making sure you feel him. His reality
smacks you in the face. No, he is more than a slam poet. This man is in this for art, culture, revolution,
and love for real for real. This poet has evolved from an infamous hood celebrity to a respected community
artist, a sought-after poet and a powerfully effective motivational speaker.
SOUGHT-AFTER POET and EDUCATOR
He is a member of the widely respected PoetryJoint.com family and the powerful Black Scribes Society.
For 2 years, "The In-thug-ligent One" worked as Operations Director of Blackout Boston. He has many
performances, workshops and visits to schools, community centers, colleges and universities, and prison
and detention centers, all over the northeast and as far away as the UK, Switzerland, and Africa, to his
credit. He also recorded an album in Geneva produced by Mr. Goo on Synchrovision Records, featuring
Blackout Arts Collective co-founder Bryonn Bain. He is the creator of "When Warriors Speak ... A Tribute
to Black Men" and "Black My Story, As Told by Three of Boston's Most Outspoken Poets." He was privileged
to poetically contribute to "The Bicentennial Birth of Mr. Langston Hughes" and Word Flow River to
River 125th. Locally he has made numerous contributions to inner-city Boston and New England community
causes. He has appeared on local TV and radio (BNN 23, PBS 44, WRBB, WERS), and he has
been heard on Springfield, Mass., and Virginia radio.
MULTI-TALENTED SPEAKER and COORDINATOR
He's been called on to discuss topics such as the prison industrial complex, solitary confinement and
homeland security at Harvard, UMass Boston, Wesleyan and Northeastern Universities. His talent,
range and versatility is evident in his ability to host his own shows, model, coordinate and choreograph
(Candlelight Silver Fashion Show, Honey's Old Jump Off, and Wellesley College's Ethos Fashion Show). He
is influenced by Langston Hughes, Askia Muhammed Toure, Rakim Allah, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind
and Fire, Jamarhl Crawford, Dr. Thema Bryant and Ms. Urselle Bonds (His Mama).
Warrior Has Participated In:
• The Finding Our Folks Tour for Hurricane Katrina Survivors
2006 (Atlanta Ga. and Mobile Alabama)
• Community Gems at University of Massachusetts Boston
• The U.S. Postal Service Langston Hughes Stamp unveiling,
Black August South 2003 (New Orleans)
• pARTicipate Conference 2004 (Washington DC)
• Juneteenth Celebration 2004 Wadsworth Athineum (Hartford, Ct.)
• ACORN Friends of the People Banquet, Omni Parker House (Boston)
• Mattapan Family Service Center, National Black Agenda Convention 2004 opening day host (Boston)
• Sips, Baltimore Ø Street Peace Day 2003 (Host)
• Men’s Night @ Mosque #11 2002 & 2003, Million Women March Foundation Celebration 2001 & 2002
• 100 Black Men Celebration 2002, Roxbury Youth Works Inc. Graduation—Keynote Speaker
• The Renaissance School Renaissance Man Pageant 2002
• Lizard Lounge (Twice Featured), Mega Cipher (twice Co-
Feature), Maylenium (Feature and Host)
• Museum for the National Center of Afrikan American Artist
• Cambridge Multi-Cultural Arts Center
• Cambridge Senior Center
• The Piano Factory
• Strand Theatre (Boston), Boston Rocks (Comedy Connection), John Hancock Hall
• The Summerville Theatre, Club Lido at the Wonderland Ball Room
• The Middle East, The Western Front, All Asia Café, Milky Way Lounge and many
Warrior Has Also Appeared At:
• ACLU College Tour 2003 at Saunders Theatre Harvard
University with Saul Williams — Host of panel discussion
on the “PATRIOT Act” and opened for “Dead Prez”
• Beats for Peace Tour Summerville Theatre with “Pharoahe Monche” and “Madusa” (Boston)
• NAACP National Convention 2003 (Miami, Fla.) Youth and College
• Member of the security team for Amiri Baraka at Wellesley College
• Black August International South (New Orleans)
• Blackout Arts Collectives Lyrics on Lock Down Tour 2005 (Boston, NY, Conn, DC, New Orleans)
• Host of the BAC 5th Anniversary Show at the Point
(Bronx, NY)
• One of the openers for "Chico Debarge" "Curtis Blow"
and "Whoodini"
• George Papp Public Theatre (NY), Soul Café 42nd Street
(NY)
• Hot Chocolate Soul @ the Bushnell & the Bond Ball Room
(Hartford, Ct.—several appearances)
• Hard Rock Café & the Royal (New Orleans), Twisted
Tongue (VA)
• Niagra Movement II (Atlanta, Ga.), Magic Johnson Starbucks (Atlanta, Ga.)
• Bar None (DC), Sheraton Newark Airport (NJ), Logan’s (Springfield)
• Café Mawonaj (DC), Soul Sanctuary & Fluids (Phila), Verbalization
(Boston)
• Debut CD “Soul of a Warrior…Vol #1 A Man Thinketh” was
Mass Communications nominee in 2003 for Best Spoken
Word CD in Boston (Cambridge Poetry Awards)
"This is the spoken word in it's
rawest/realest form. Get into the
mind of a Ghetto Representative."
-Vibrant Magazine
Warrior G.R.I.O.T. is
"a muckraker without trepidation."
- Bruce George
Def Poetry Jam co-founder
"lets just hope he breeds and fast!"
- Monti Smith
producer of the Red Bull Word Clash
Please check the artist: http://www.myspace.com/michaelbonds
Free Dowload:
http://synchrovisionrecords.bandcamp.com/album/warrior-g-r-i-o-t-inthugligent-ghetto-veritas
