Six-time Grammy winning artist, poet, songwriter and producer Malik Yusef is the Director of Arts and Culture for Hip Hop Caucus. At Hip Hop Caucus, Malik directs organizational and campaign strategies that utilize arts and culture to reach communities and move them to action. He brings his unparalleled relationships across music, fashion, film, television, poetry, and fine arts, and organizes his peers to contribute their talents to culturally progressive agendas.

Malik Yusef, the WordSmyth, is an avant-garde spoken word poet—with timely lyrics that address and bring attention to national and global issues. Born and raised in Chicago’s south side amongst a humble and sometimes troubled beginning, Malik rose out of those surroundings to become a 17-time Grammy award-nominee, five-time Grammy award-winner, and seven-time ASCAP award-winner for both pop and R&B. Other credits include Emmy, Peabody, and Tony awards. Some of Malik’s early influences include Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, William Shakespeare, Haki Madhubuti, Malcolm X, and Phillis Wheatley. 

Most recently, Malik won his latest Grammy Award for co-writing "Sandcastles" on Beyoncé’s album Lemonade, which won Best Urban Contemporary Album of The Year and was additionally nominated for co-writing & producing 15/18 tracks on Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo; other notable features include the Grammy nominated track "All Day," Ty Dolla Sign’s album Free TC, and Common’s critically acclaimed album Nobody’s Smiling. He was also a featured producer with the legendary band WAR on their first studio album in 20 years, released in June 2014. All of his music credits can be found on his artist website here.

As one of Kanye West’s most trusted contributors, Malik co-wrote and contributed to every track on The Life of Pablo; he co-wrote eight out the ten songs on Yeezus; he is a writer and artist on Cruel Summer featuring Kanye West and the rest of his G.O.O.D. Music team. Additionally, Malik co-wrote seven songs on Kanye’s Double Platinum, 5th release and Rolling Stone's "Album of the Year" My Dark Twisted Fantasy and Malik is credited as a writer/producer/collaborator on Kanye’s critically acclaimed Film Runaway, which contains much of Malik’s music. Malik is also credited on Kanye’s critically acclaimed 808’s and Heartbreaks and his first albums The College Dropout and Late Registration.

Malik was Executive Producer of the album HOME (Heal Our Mother Earth), featuring Common, NE-YO, Elle Varner, Karmin, Raheem DeVaughn, Crystal Waters and a host of dynamic artists. The album HOME launched People’s Climate Music in 2014, a project of Hip Hop Caucus that is brings culture and diversity to the forefront of the environmental movement.

Malik is signed to the world’s largest music publisher, Universal Music Publishing, and is part of Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music label and affiliated with Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang. It is his pure talent, unparalleled work ethic, and ability to be a trusted advisor, that has allowed Malik to build and maintain incredible industry connections and relationships with the likes of Katy Perry, Common, Jennifer Hudson, Rihanna, Kanye West, Wiz Khalifa, and Adam Levine. Malik has been a poet since he was 21 years old.