Born in Maywood and raised in Peoria, Illinois, Brandon Alexander Williams is a poet, MC and DJ. He is the most recent recipient of the Grant Wood Fellowship and is a visiting instructor at the University of Iowa’s School of Music where he teaches courses in Hip-Hop. Williams is an alumnus of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale where he produced “The Yard: An A’Capella/Hip-Hop Musical”. As an active MC and DJ, he has performed and taught throughout the country, produced eight albums, published two books and given several guest lectures and keynotes centered around art-integrated education.