Baker Artist Portfolios

Jamaal Collier was born in Northwest Washington D.C. Black Root the performance artist was born in West Baltimore City, Maryland. The authenticity and beauty of this city continues to inspire him. Collier has always had a way with words and a desire to be of service to his community through his work. From open mics in the city to hosting festivals in France, Root has used his skill set of rapping/emceeing, beatboxing, acting, writing, didgeridoo playing, and hosting to convey his passion for the arts. Through his efforts, Collier has cultivated a fan base of everyone from toddlers in the Judy Center to elder events with the Department of Aging.

Performing and engaging audiences is a fulfilling experience for Root; serving as a mutual exchange of learning, support and being seen by each other.
It is imperative to Jamaal to inform everyone he encounters that they are important, valuable and that their thoughts and ideas always matter. No story is more or less important than another, but we will never know that story without it being shared. Collier’s work is inspired by those shared stories as well as his own personal discoveries.

Jamaal has toured with Step Afrika, co-founded Beatbox Dads, written songs for Grammy Nominated projects, hosted hundreds of events, facilitated professional development to over five-hundred educators and administrators, and provided master teaching artistry to well over one-hundred and fifty thousand young scholars. His underlying theme is to evoke critical thinking while captivating audiences through the power of sound and the spoken and written word.