I was born… don’t remember that.
Raised in Atlanta… will never forget that.
I had a childhood dream…. I am just beginning to live that.
I am Malik Salaam. I started my artistic career in smoked filled dives… just me… a microphone… and a note pad with some of my most personal thoughts.
It wasn’t long before the monkey jumped on my back. And I found myself pulling into the parking lot of the pawn shop with my belongings stuffed into the trunk; pulling off with barely enough money to start my artistic discovery.
I could fill you in on all the details- nights in the Greyhound Bus terminals… the random couches… and interesting people. But you cain’t fit a decade of experiences as a full-time, independent artist into 2500 characters. And if you are a lover of great cinema I can guarantee that we will have plenty of time for the details.
Let’s just say, smoked filled dives gave way to college campuses and larger venues. And HBO Def Poetry. And as my career grew, so did my appetite for artistic expression.
It started out with books and CDs (I have 5 collectively)…
As I searched for a bigger platform, it morphed into theater (my one man stage play, Borderline, was awarded an Emerging Playwright Grant from the City of Atlanta).
And then I found film… I wrote, directed, and produced a feature documentary entitled, Lost in the Rubble (Best Documentary UMFF and featured during the Congressional Black Caucus along with over 5,000 copies sold).
And now I have completed and screened my first feature film, Every Scar and Dimple, which won Audeince Choice Award at the 9th Annual UMFF.
My childhood dream… yeah… I am living that.
