On Hard Knock Radio, host Davey D sat down with acclaimed poet, recording artist, organizer and activist Aja Monet for a wide ranging conversation about poetry, Hip Hop, Black expression and her new album The Color of Rain.
The conversation opened with Davey D reflecting on Monet’s song “Black Joy,” joking that her poems kept him calm during a long traffic delay on the Bay Bridge. Monet embraced that idea, saying poems can make people “a little bit more communal” and help listeners find calm inside intensity.
Monet traced her roots back to Brooklyn, where she grew up around open mics, poetry spaces and Hip Hop culture. She credited Urban Word NYC and the Nuyorican Poets Cafe as key places that shaped her voice. She described the Nuyorican as more than a poetry venue. It was also a Hip Hop space where MCs, poets, comedians and performers sharpened their craft together.
A major theme of the interview was the difference between spoken word and poetry. Monet explained that poetry involves craft, technique, rhythm, metaphor, tone and meaning. She pushed back against elitist traditions that dismiss Black oral traditions as lesser forms of art. For Monet, great MCs are poets because their words carry soul, precision and emotional power.
Davey D and Monet also discussed conviction. Monet noted that conviction can be powerful, but it must be examined. Poetry, she said, demands honesty and forces the artist to confront contradictions.
The second half of the conversation focused on The Color of Rain. Monet said the title came from a studio moment when she described feeling like “the color of rain.” She liked the mystery of the phrase because it allows listeners to decide what that color means.
Monet credited Meshell Ndegeocello and Justin Brown as central architects of the album’s sound. She described the project as deeply collaborative, featuring musicians including Georgia Anne Muldrow, Corey Henry, Novena Carmel and others. She also shared the moving story behind “Elsewhere,” a song honoring Sly Stone and created in community with his daughter Novena.
The interview closed with Monet naming Ntozake Shange, June Jordan, Jayne Cortez, Sekou Sundiata and Sonia Sanchez among her Mount Kilimanjaro of poets.
Hard Knock Radio is a drive-time Hip-Hop talk show on KPFA (94.1fm @ 4-5 pm Monday-Friday), a community radio station without corporate underwriting, hosted by Davey D and Anita Johnson.
