Val vs. Ryan Poetry Slam!

CHICAGO -- Award-winning performance poet Dr. Groove chats about the poetry scene in Chicago and he puts Val and Ryan through boot camp to test their rhyming skills in honor of National Poetry Month.

Val or Ryan?! Whose rhyming skills are the best? Head to Facebook, watch the videos and tell us!

About Geoffrey 'Dr. Groove' Watts:

"Doctor Groove" has evolved into one of the most profound, prolific, yet simplistic poets of our lifetime. He does his poetry barefoot on stage. It is a symbolic gesture to depict being on holy ground. His poetry is his ministry and has been life changing for thousands of people who have heard his powerful pieces which rivet the soul. He has a "voice of thunder".

He was mentored in his youth by Gwendolyn Brooks and Oscar Brown Jr. Those two icons had a bearing on his purpose in life. Geoffrey has kept Doctor Groove as his moniker for over three decades, as he switched genres, exiting hip-hop in 1998 as a rapping and mixing DJ and turning back to his poetic roots after rejecting the direction hip-hop was going.

Doctor Groove's exploits are well documented. He has appeared on Channel 11 WTTW show called "Art beat" twice. He was on the front cover of Streetwise twice and the 1st time they sold out! He has been covered by all the major Chicago newspapers, the Chicago Tribune, Sun-Times, Reader, Redeye, and Defender). He was also covered by Rolling Out Magazine and filmed by them also in 2015. He was honored at the Museum of Science and Industry in 2002 in the exhibit "Look What the Wind Blew In" which was a tribute to Chicago-based hip-hop artists and is presently archived. (Doctor Groove cut the first rap record in Chicago by a Chicagoan.).

Doctor Groove is diverse and his pieces are for all ages and he can deal with a multitude of scenarios. He uses no profanity in his works. His knowledge of black history makes him a favorite during black history month. He was just recently honored at by Rappin' Tate from the Zulu Nation in 2014 for his community activism.

For more on Dr. Groove's 'Swag is not Sag' campaign and the Garfield Workforce Center, visit http://www.gofundme.com/bp5ilk.