J. Ivy (born March 3, 1976 as James Ivy Richardson II) is an American performance poet, spoken word artist, recording artist, and author. He is a three-time HBO Def Poet and has earned a Grammy Award for his performance on Kanye West’s debut album The College Dropout. His full-length solo album, Here I Am, was released in late 2010 on his co-owned entertainment company Ivyous Entertainment. In 2012, J. Ivy followed up his album "HERE I AM" with the release of his book "HERE I AM: Then & Now