When I started writing poetry, I fashioned my pieces after the lyrics in Hip Hop songs
, simple to understand but with an underlying message, not just a rhyming scheme. I guess my training as a journalist also taught me to always keep it simple when I write, which is why I think Hip Hop is so widely accepted. Most Hip Hop artists write in a conversational mode, like they are talking with you face to face, something I find quite appealing and which I incorporate into my poetry. Hip Hop and Hip Hop radio has shown me how one can bring in a conscious element into a commercial setting and make it work.