Felicia “The Poetess” Morris made her radio debut at the tender age of 5 years old on KDIA-AM, a soul station in the San Francisco Bay Area, where her father, Johnny Morris, was a popular disc jockey. Felicia would soon follow in her famous dad’s footsteps by moving to Los Angeles and landing her first on-air gig as radio co-host on Bailey Broadcasting’s nationally syndicated “Hip Hop Countdown and Report.” Since 1989, her skills as a researcher and consummate authority on Black music have been utilized on a weekly basis.
A love for writing poetry, Ms. Morris, parlayed her poems to rap songs and soon landed a recording contract with Poetic Groove/Interscope Records in 1992 and released her debut album Simply Poetry that included appearances by Academy Award winning actor Jamie Foxx, Def Jef and Kool G. Rap. “Love Hurts,” the album’s first single broke the Top 10 on national college radio quickly establishing her as a fixture in hip hop. While pursuing her music career, The Poetess soon began to build a foundation in journalism, interviewing hundreds of celebrities and penning numerous articles for various hip hop trades including RapPages and Vibe Magazine.
Having proven herself a prolific artist and credible journalist, The Poetess took on greater challenges by joining the staff of major market heavy, L.A.’s KKBT/92..3 The Beat (later 100.3 The Beat) in 1994. Having a keen ear for hits, The Poetess introduced the music of Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill and gave her Southern California listeners an inside look at the personal lives of their favorite celebrities through her in-dept interviews. The Poetess’ passion for the community lead to her position as community affairs director for 100.3 The Beat, where she gave voice to the community on issues of gang violence, economic empowerment and health awareness. In her former position, she organized voter registration drives, school supply give-a-ways, community rallies, and health awareness campaigns.
After 13 years on the air at KKBT-FM Los Angeles, Ms. Morris resigned in 2007 and a year later joined The Foxxhole on Sirius/XM radio - a comedy and entertainment network executive produced by Academy Award winning actor, Jamie Foxx. The Poetess served as co-host and mistress of information on The Jamie Foxx Show and the producer of The Sheryl Underwood show, 5150 Show with Corey Holcomb, Voice of Reason w/ Zo Williams, The Claudia Jordan Show and The Foxxhole Comedy Corner. Ms. Morris is president of Poetess Media, an entertainment content provider for mobile, Internet, TV and radio. The Poetess is currently producing hip hop education programs for students and at-risk youth at The GRAMMY Museum and has a book and film in the works on the history of West Coast Hip Hop.
