He bridged hip-hop and poetry, became Def Jam's first signed poet, and mentored a new generation. Inside Black Ice's legacy ...

Black Ice, the Philadelphia poet who became one of the most powerful voices in performance poetry, has died. He was 54. Born Lamar Manson, the Def Poetry Jam standout delivered sharp examinations of ...

Philadelphia's spoken-word community is mourning one of its fiercest voices. Lamar Manson, the Philadelphia-born poet known ...

Lamar Manson, better known by his stage name Black Ice, is widely recognized as the first poet signed to Def Jam Records and as a star of the Def Poetry Jam TV and Broadway shows. He was 54.

Black Ice, the legendary Philadelphia poet whose unforgettable performances on Def Poetry Jam helped elevate spoken word into the mainstream, has died, leaving behind a powerful artistic legacy.

Back in 2004, Kanye West had already made an indelible mark on the hip-hop world by producing the best tracks on Jay-Z’s watershed 2001 album The Blueprint. But Def Poetry Jam provided a two-pronged ...