Ise Lyfe

Who is Ise Lyfe?

Ise Lyfe, born Isaac Brown, is a spoken word and hip-hop artist as well as an educator, community organizer, and activist in his native Oakland, California. He is best known for winning the 2001 National Poetry Slam Competition and appearing on Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam on HBO. He appeared in a one-man show, Pistols and Prayers, based on his book of the same name, and wrote another one-person show called Who's Krazy?. He has also presented a multi-media conceptual art project, Brighter than Blight.

From 2008 to 2011 he was a member of the Cultural Affairs Commission for the city of Oakland. He won the Soul of Oakland award in 2012. He was featured along with several other Oakland artists in the book Oakland in Popular Memory by Matt Werner.