AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Brotha Trav Tha Godbrotha has made a name for himself as a poet/spoken word artist in the city of Augusta and the surrounding areas.
Brotha Trav chats with WJBF DIGITAL about how he continues to spread positivity through his work while also celebrating a major, personal milestone.
Thank you for joining us. Now, you are mostly known for your spoken word here in the city of Augusta. What got you started with poetry?
Wow, there’s a story that goes with that. So, I would be what some would call a “late bloomer” when it comes to poetry because I didn’t write my first poem until I was about 27 years old. I’ve always been artistic. I used to draw a lot. There was a bad experience… well, I’ll say it was a good experience because good was birthed out of it. I was terminated from a job, and I had so many feelings inside of me. So, in frustration, I pulled out a notebook and started writing, and I eventually let people read it or hear it. They were like, “I think you got something.” I had no intentions on being a poet.
How has poetry changed your life?
Significantly. I don’t know who I would be without poetry because it’s who I am. Today, everybody knows me as Brotha Trav the poet. So, it’s my identity. It’s still my escape. It’s still my peace. My peace is in my pen. So, yeah, it’s changed me drastically.
Well, you are not just a poet. You are also the creator and host of Hidden Gems, which can be heard on Round Here Radio. What started this show and what is it about for anyone who hasn’t listened?
The name of the show is Brotha Trav presents Hidden Gems, and we’ve been on the air on Round Here Radio for over 6 years now. This show is a show that plays all kind of world music, eclectic music… mostly, indie music so that’s the point of the show. On Round Here Radio, they specialize in indie music. So, we play music from all over the country, all genres: hip hop music, house music, jazz music, just all kinds of music. So, I like to say it’s a music sampler or what they call it now… a charcuterie board of radio. (Laughs) That’s us! And then, we talk a little in between and have some fun. We highlight one particular artist every week and call it “The Hidden Gem of The Week.” It’s a lot of fun. It airs every Sunday between the hours of 2 and 4 P.M. EST. Just got to Round Here Radio. There’s an app for it. Download it to your phone. Hook it up to your Bluetooth and jam out with us.
You are also a member of Band of Brothers. You all have the Juneteenth Celebration coming again this year. What can we expect from the festivities this year?
Oh wow… a lot. It’s kind of now morphed from Juneteenth Festival to Juneteenth Weekend to Juneteenth Week! So, all throughout the week, we’re having all kind of festivities. We do something in conjunction with Augusta Technical College where we go out and clean the neighborhood. We choose a neighborhood and go clean. So, we kind of start the week that way. There’s going to be another event to where there’s a panel and panel discussion. Then, there’s the big day. Now, we’re doing Juneteenth on Monday. So, we want to highlight the 19th. That’s the holiday: June 19th. So, now that it’s a federal holiday, we want to take advantage of doing it on the 19th, on that historic day. It’s a lot of fun. We had over 10,000 people and 100 vendors last year. Yeah, come on out. Go to our Facebook page, Band Of Brothers, or our website, bandofbrothersaugusta.org. You’ll find it. Right now, we still have openings for vendors and sponsors.
Now, you celebrated a big celebration this year: you’re 10-year anniversary of having an aortic dissection surgery. Can you explain what that is?
Aortic dissection is pretty rare and usually fatal. Due to having untreated high blood pressure, my aorta began to swell and separate. So, it dissected. So, I’m bleeding out internally. I lost movement in my left leg because there was no blood flow going to the left leg. I was airlifted to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia for emergency surgery. April 7th made 10 years. Everything is intact. I went to my 10-year anniversary last week and everything checked out well. So, I’m so fortunate to be here. I didn’t realize what it was until it happened to me. I never heard of an aortic dissection. So, I’m so thankful to God that He allows me this opportunity to not only educate people but also encourage brothers to make sure that your health is good. A lot of us suffer from hypertension, and a lot of us are unmedicated. So, I like to get into that story.
Thank you for sharing your story, and congratulations on celebrating 10 years. Now, if people want to reach out to you, how can they do so?
I think I’ve finally gotten into that status where I can say, “Google me.” (Laughs) So, if you type in Brotha Trav Tha Godbrotha, all kind of stuff will start popping up so you’ll find all of my pages from there.
