A handful of words often tell you everything you need to know. When asked, who is Kate Tempest? She gives a brief, albeit telling answer. “Kate Tempest is the words,” she responds. You haven’t ever seen, heard or experienced anyone quite like her. Tempest uncovers the missing link between the Golden Ages of literature and hip-hop. The London-born, BRIT Award and Mercury Prize-nominated spoken word artist, rapper, poet, novelist and playwright rhymes with a century-turning fury. Since her emergence in 2011, she has redefined what it means to be a wordsmith in the Modern Age. To date, she has published three poetry collections, staged three plays and released three studio albums. Along the way, she entranced audiences on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Seth Meyers, NPR’s “Tiny Desk” and more. Not to mention, she garnered widespread critical acclaim from The New York Times, The New Yorker, Forbes and more, to name a few. In the midst of this whirlwind journey, she performed a passage of her popular 75-minute narrative poem, Brand New Ancients, on Charlie Rose. Legendary producer and American Recordings Founder Rick Rubin caught the show, tracked down her phone number and made a call. This set a series of events in motion that led to her 2019 debut album for American Recordings, The Book Of Traps & Lessons (produced by Rubin and Tempest’s frequent collaborator, Dan Carey), out now.
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