Bertrand E. Boyd II

Born on March 3, 1986, Bertrand E. Boyd, II spent his youth in North Miami, Florida. It was in his teenage years that he discovered his love of poetry after watching a performance by two-time HBO Def Poet Will “Da Real One” Bell in Ms. Blue’s English class at North Miami Senior High School. The rest was foresworn and the conclusion foregone—the craft had captured this young man. In 2009, Bertrand graduated from Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, with a Bachelors of Arts degree in English. It is a mistaken notion that time kills youth. For some men, it refines it; it immolates the folly and preserves the hope in amber. Christened “Da Youngsta” for his youth and precocity by his now-mentor Bell, Boyd first performed at North Miami’s Literary Café in February of 2004, at the age of 17. His star rose quickly, and Boyd was invited to perform both nationally and internationally. Boyd opened for the “Laugh Out Loud” Comedy Tour, which featured comics Don “DC” Curry, Arnes J., Earthquake, Sommore, and Malik Salon, in 2005. His performance at Miami’s marquee James L. Knight Center elicited a standing ovation from the crowd. It is a mistaken notion that time kills youth. For some men, it separates arrogance and fear from clear-eyed, hard-earned swagger. Time shapes and molds, breaks and builds. It turns a youth into a Youngsta. Da Youngsta has performed at shows across the Southeast and beyond; his poetry is the reckoning of a kid on the come-up and a man determined to break chains and cross boundaries. Since the untimely passing of his mentor Da Real One, Da Youngsta has redoubled his efforts as one of the keepers of the flame. Now going by his given name, Boyd had his feature film debut in April 2012, starring as Brooklyn Carter in Between the Ropes. His latest lead role is as Malcolm Taylor in Exonerated, a film based on the story Brian Banks, a rising high-school football star wrongly accused of rape and imprisoned. The film has been entered into various festivals including the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival. He currently plies his craft near his hometown of Miami, committed to sharing his gift with the world, including with his little girl, born in December of 2011. - WSUI Blog

Born on March 3, 1986, Bertrand E. Boyd, II spent his youth in North Miami, Florida. It was in his teenage years that he discovered his love of poetry after watching a performance by two-time HBO Def Poet Will “Da Real One” Bell in Ms. Blue’s English class at North Miami Senior High School. The rest was foresworn and the conclusion foregone—the craft had captured this young man. In 2009, Bertrand graduated from Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, with a Bachelors of Arts degree in English. It is a mistaken notion that time kills youth. For some men, it refines it; it immolates the folly and preserves the hope in amber. Christened “Da Youngsta” for his youth and precocity by his now-mentor Bell, Boyd first performed at North Miami’s Literary Café in February of 2004, at the age of 17. His star rose quickly, and Boyd was invited to perform both nationally and internationally. Boyd opened for the “Laugh Out Loud” Comedy Tour, which featured comics Don “DC” Curry, Arnes J., Earthquake, Sommore, and Malik Salon, in 2005. His performance at Miami’s marquee James L. Knight Center elicited a standing ovation from the crowd. It is a mistaken notion that time kills youth. For some men, it separates arrogance and fear from clear-eyed, hard-earned swagger. Time shapes and molds, breaks and builds. It turns a youth into a Youngsta. Da Youngsta has performed at shows across the Southeast and beyond; his poetry is the reckoning of a kid on the come-up and a man determined to break chains and cross boundaries. Since the untimely passing of his mentor Da Real One, Da Youngsta has redoubled his efforts as one of the keepers of the flame. Now going by his given name, Boyd had his feature film debut in April 2012, starring as Brooklyn Carter in Between the Ropes. His latest lead role is as Malcolm Taylor in Exonerated, a film based on the story Brian Banks, a rising high-school football star wrongly accused of rape and imprisoned. The film has been entered into various festivals including the Fort Lauderdale Film Festival. He currently plies his craft near his hometown of Miami, committed to sharing his gift with the world, including with his little girl, born in December of 2011. - WSUI Blog