Poetry vs. Hip Hop - 10 Year Anniversary
City Winery St. Louis and Poetry After Dark present: Poetry vs. Hip-Hop® – 10 Year Anniversary Tour. Poetry vs. Hip-Hop® takes the stage at City Winery St. Louis for the first time in a decade — and this night might just be one for the books (and the history). After 10 years, we're returning for the first time with purpose — and possibly for the last time — as touring costs and cuts to arts funding continue to challenge independent, Black-led performance. STL, this is your chance to show up and show love.
🎤 Hosted by the electrifying LIGHTNING – STL’s mic-slaying poet and crowd commander
🌟 Headliners:
Queen Sheba – 2025 & 2024 Grammy-Nominated Spoken Word-Poet and founder of Poetry vs. Hip-Hop®. This stop is part of her “HEALED PEOPLE DON’T ACT LIKE THIS” album summer tour — up for your Grammy® consideration in the Spoken Word-Poetry category! + Her book release for both "Clemency" & "Life in the Fast Brain".
Tasha Jones – Award-Winning Poet & Educator of the Year, celebrated for her brilliance, presence, and deeply rooted storytelling both on stage and in the classroom.
🎟️ Upgrade to the 6–7 PM Meet & Greet! This add-on ticket includes a glass of grapes (we're not trying to get canceled on the internet!), a limited-edition tour poster, a photo with the cast, and first dibs at exclusive merch.
Then, the main event: Poets and MCs go head-to-head in a friendly-but-fierce lyrical battle, where YOU, the audience, choose the winners. Every round is a celebration of rhythm, wit, and wordplay — with love, peace, and performance power at the center.
What Is Poetry vs. Hip-Hop®?
Founded by Grammy-nominated Queen Sheba, Poetry vs. Hip-Hop® is an internationally touring show where elite Poets and MCs compete with craft, respect, and skill. It is not a poetry slam. It is not a rap battle. It is everything in between — and more.
With no judges and no scorecards, artists perform their best work, and the crowd determines the winner through energy, applause, and full-on stomp-the-floor love. The prize? Cash, swag, and bragging rights.
This is live art, grassroots legacy, and lyrical medicine.
VIP M&G Available!
Join the group for a pre-show meet and greet that includes a glass of wine, a free tour poster, a picture with the crew and first dibs on merch.
