Who is DA REAL ONE

Humble, yet explosive, his persona is one of modest strength and calm passion. Possessing a formidable stature and strong-baritone voice command attention, Will holds his audiences spellbound.

When asked what keeps him humble in an arena that he seems to dominate wherever he goes, his reply is this, "I am never bigger than the poems I write or the people who listen to them." And it has been that way since 2001.

After being taken to his first spoken word venue and blazed the stage without even knowing he had entered a "Lip, Tongue, and Ear" Poetry Slam Will, walked away with first place and became Will "Da RealOne" In that single night his passion for this art form was made clear and the stage was set for his success of awakening spirits with political musings that ignite fire, sharing bittersweet memories of his past, and turning up the heat with sensual erotic metaphors.

In 2002 he released his first spoken word project entitled Verbal Vision, a favorite amongst some of the most noted figures in the world of spoken word. In 2005, Bell released his follow up spoken word cd Diary of Reform which further solidified his gift as a writer and artistic integrity.

As a spoken word artist, he accumulated a wealth of experience through his many performances throughout the United States and gained international notoriety after becoming Canadian World International Poetry Slam Champion 2004 and 2005. A Miami Masters Preliminary Slam Finalist, M. O. M. A. Poetry Slam Champion, Ghetto Poetry Slam Champion, The Love Jones Revived Slam Champion, Flo-Wednesday's Slam Champion, Funk Jazz Lounge Slam Champion, Mello-Mondays Slam Champion and most recently The Miami Masters Poetry Tournament Slam Champion.

But Bell made his mark in the history of South Florida poetry by being the first poet to grace the air waves of all three major urban radio stations in the area (WEDR/99Jamz,/Power96, and /HOT105) and hold down a prime time radio spot, on Power 96's Teddy T and Lucy show. A five time nationally televised spoken word artist, two of his national appearances include performances on the HBO program Russell Simmons presents HBO's Def Poetry Jam 2003 and 2004. One such appearance yielding the performance of what would come to be his signature poem .So I Run.

And in 2003 Bell opened the Literary Cafe and Poetry Lounge, a venue in which he wanted artist of all kinds to be able to showcase their talents and hone their skills and a place where an audience of any cultural background to be able to gather and share in the love of art. I

It was outside his beloved Literary Café Poetry Lounge that Will .Da Real One" Bell suffered an untimely death early Sunday Morning on May 29, 2011 at thehands of an unknown gunman. Hundreds gathered to mourn and celebrate the life of not just a poet but a friend and mentor. His death leaves a great void in the poetry and spoken-word performance scene but his legacy will be ever lasting.

Written/used with permission by Anomaly, Miami, Fl Photo collage created by Asia Samson (used with his permission)