Ibraheem Azam
16raheem (Born Ibraheem Azam) is a young rapper from Chicago, Illinois, specifically Oak Park. Born and raised in Chicago, he spent his childhood years moving around the west suburbs, and eventually attending middle school and high school in Oak Park.
He began rapping in 2016, and uploading music under various different names on SoundCloud before ultimately going by 16raheem. His first official album "Dyin' Breed" was released on all streaming services on May 8th, 2020. In September of 2020, he released the "Raheem the Dream EP". His next EP "$till Working..." is set to release in August of 2021.
The impact of poetry and the spoken word club
Spoken Word club gave me a community to express my writing to, whether it was a poem or just a straight rap verse. Learning about poetry and the right way to write poetry, and the difference between good and bad poetry is one thing I got from spoken word club. I came in as somebody who was not really into poetry at all. Mr. Kahn and Mr. Levin were definitely the two most impactful teachers I had ever had in my life, and they helped me reach my fullest potential. Poetry also helped me reflect on stories from my past that may have been unique and rare but that I had seen as insignificant. Overall, spoken word club helped me become more aware of myself as there was such a diverse group of people in the club.
Top favorite poets or lyricists
Mick Jenkins, Money Man, Saba, Smino, Lupe Fiasco and J. Cole.
Writing Prompts
Write about a fantasy you had when you were younger
Write about the time you discovered a passion
Write about a time you lost faith