People | Truly Awthentik
Poet. Spoken word artist. Activist. MC. Rapper. These words best describe 22-year-old Johnetta Anderson— better known as Awthentik. Poet extrodinaire, this luminary is heating up the poetry scene in Chicago. Her words of wisdom and keeping it real has made her one of the scene’s hottest artists. As she puts it, “Poetry is life and spoken word is the soundtrack.” Loc’d Life caught up with Awthentik this summer and talked to us about poetry, life and of course locs. Read on…
Tell me about yourself.
I am a poet, spoken word artist and activist. I teach after school programs, HIV/AIDS programs, violence-controlling, physical/mental, psychological “keep the peace” programs. I worked with Imani Media in its programs for the prevention of AIDS. I am an MC. I am a rapper. I am involved in hip hop culture. I work with Hip-Hop Detoxx as they go to different schools helping to detox our youth from hip hop culture—meaning no gang-banging, no selling drugs and refocusing on the history of Black people in our music. Helping groups that are all male or all female to become women and men and not what the media wants to portray them.
Describe your poetic style.
I would say that I am a combination of Harriet Tubman, Lauryn Hill and Angela Davis. Even I can’t describe me. I’m pro Black and I understand the streets, where people are coming from. Whether they’re wealthy, go to college—whoever—I don’t look down on people. I understand what is going on in hip-hop culture. I don’t condone it but I have a point of understanding.
What is your poetry about?
I know I am in a society that doesn’t read. So I try to express to them what I’ve read. I’m teaching a more creative way. My poems are not a set thing. I speak about love, revolutions…Poetry is not a thing, it’s a being. It reflects all different emotions. Being happy, not being happy. My poetry is a realized being with the ability to touch and to snatch people. I understand it.
How long have you worn locs?
I’ve been wearing them 2 years and 7 months now.
Why do you wear them?
I got them because I had really long “good” hair. It was straight and long, and I hated it. It just wasn’t me at all. I had a friend who had locs in St. Louis. It was at SIUE (Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville), that’s when I was exposed to locs. I thought they were beautiful. Locs are me. For me, they represent rebellion, not wearing my hair bone straight. Everyone told me not to. But, I thought they were beautiful.
What advice would you give fellow loc wearers?
Keep it oiled. I use olive oil and I mix it [with other oils] sometimes. I use Jamaican Mango & Lime Locking Gel. I go to a loctician, so she would know more.
For people who are on the fence about getting locs….
Get them. Black people, especially women, think they are not going to look pretty on them. It’s a natural hairstyle. If I got an afro, it would be beautiful on me. Many people do not know how it’s going to look on them. Once you get them, you’ll love them.
Check out Awthentik's poetry reel here for more of her lyric style.