Kel Spencer – The Warrior Poet

Kel Spencer calls himself the “Warrior Poet” but that’s not what sets him apart from other artists.

Kel Spencer has worked with such big names as Will Smith, Wyclef John, Mary J. Blige, and MC Lyte – but that’s not what sets him apart from other artists, either. He’s been dubbed “The best rapper you’ve never heard of” by DJ Jazzy Jeff and “The Hip Hop Moses”. This definitely puts him head and shoulders above a lot of rappers, but it’s not the only thing.

There are several things that set Kel apart from other rap artists. Number one among them is that he listens. What he has heard has inspired him to create a novelty album, “Salon Stories”, due to drop October 20th. It’s a collection of music inspired by the stories he’s heard over the years as a sympathetic and empathetic friend to the women in his life who would come to him with questions about the nature of guys and why things haven’t always worked out. He knows what women want, he says, and he hopes to inspire women to make better choices for better relationships.

“I’ve always been the guy girls came to with questions,” he says. “They were asking the same questions, over and over, questions like why doesn’t he call me, or why is he acting the fool? I’m a dude, I see it from both sides, and I’d tell them the truth, try to bridge that gap.”

In Kel’s opinion, today’s crumbling society can be attributed to one thing – the demise of the family unit. He says the general message he means to get across to both men and women with “Salon Stories” is to foster success in a committed relationship, and it all boils down to one simple idea: pay more attention to each other. He freely shares his “Spencerisms” on Twitter, in which he dispenses nuggets of wisdom from his own experiences and asks provocative questions of his followers to make them think and respond.

“In my opinion,” he says, “Rap is a storytelling device that hasn’t been utilized to its greatest potential.”

Which brings us to another thing that sets Kel Spencer apart from other artists. He owns an indie record label (3rd Power Music Group), and he’s quite familiar with the challenges any indie artist faces, whether in print or in music, and namely, that’s marketing and reaching an audience. Not only is he on the radio on a regular basis, dispensing his wisdom, but he’s all over the social networking sites such as Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, iLike, and YouTube. Over half a million people are followers of Kel, due to a savvy marketing strategy and his ability to appeal to the “salon crowd”.

But that’s not all. While many artists have established a presence on the internet social scene, Kel actually interacts with his fans, keeps in touch, and handles much of the action himself. He does have a small staff to help him, but the majority of the work he takes on himself.

“Every blogger counts,” he says, “every fan, every person.” It’s that kind of personal philosophy and work ethic that makes Kel Spencer unique. He believes in practicing what you preach, and has a social conscience and a need to make a difference, make his world a better place through his extraordinary storytelling talent.

Kel Spencer may be the best rapper you’ve never heard of – but you’re going to hear a lot about this talented artist in the days to come.

Kel’s Free sampler!

Salon Stories Listening Party, Episode 1

Salon Stories Listening Party, Episode 2

Salon Stories Listening Party, Episode 3

Follow Kel on Twitter, MySpace, or Facebook.