Sharrif Simmons
Biography of Sharrif Simmons
Sharrif Simmons is a poet, musician, writer, and arts educator. His performance career spans three decades, beginning with his education at U.C.L.A (University on the Corner of Lenox Avenue) aka Liberation Bookstore. The famed establishment, founded by his Aunt Una Mulzac, served the Harlem community for over 35 years, 5 of which found Sharrif as a book salesman and avid reader. After seeing veteran poet Sonia Sanchez at the Schomburg Center for Black Research, Sharrif was inspired to make spoken word poetry his vocation. Often referred to as his generation’s Gil Scott-Heron, his musical influences range from The Last Poets, Abiodun Oyewole, Richie Havens, Bill Withers, Bob Marley, and Jimi Hendrix, to Rage Against the Machine, Parliament Funkadelic, Old Dirty Bastard and Biggie Smalls. In March 2023, Sharrif became the first poet of his generation to be honored with membership to the seminal poetry group THE LAST POETS, the Godfathers of Hip Hop and Spoken Word.
He’s toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States, playing his blend of poetry and acoustic guitar for festivals, concert halls and poetry readings. He resides in Harlem, NY.
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