Meet Jibreel Khumas: Renaissance Man

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jibreel Khumas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jibreel, career-wise, where do you want to be in the end?
My end goal is to obtain liberation from all systems currently attempting to hinder me from living in my destiny. Within my goal, (which includes a variety of benchmarks), complete and absolute financial freedom is one of the items occupying the top of my list.

Professionally, I see myself as the founder and curator of multiple interdisciplinary museums. By the end of my career, I’ll be preparing to go down in history as not only an unforgettable businessman, but one of the greatest Artists and Renaissance Men to ever live.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I was born a creative, the light has been with me since coming out of my mother’s womb; I have always been an Artist. During my adolescent years, I was a member of a youth organization in North Minneapolis, Minnesota called ‘Unlimited Next Level Drill & Dance Performing Arts’ (U.N.L.), under the direction of Stephan A. Graham. Shortly after joining U.N.L. I became a mentee of Stephan, and as our bond and relationship grew, Stephan became my God Father.

Stephan registered me at a Performing Arts High School in St. Paul, Minnesota where I began my pre-professional dance training in the classical genre of Ballet and technical genres of West African, Jazz and Modern. During my Junior and Senior years of High School I started more intensive training at the TU Dance Center in St. Paul, Minnesota under the instruction of Co-Directors and Founders, Toni Pierce-Sands and Uri Sands. Concluding my pre-professional dance training in Minnesota, I moved to New York and began my rigorous professional dance training at The Ailey School in Manhattan, New York City, New York.

During both my secondary and post-secondary studies with dance, I developed a very strong interest in poetry and creative writing. In November of 2016 I attended a theatrical performance titled ‘The Ballot or the Bullet’ (a tribute to the famous 1964 Malcolm X speech) that was organized by my good friend, Thandisizwe Jackson-Nisan. It was here at this performance where my interest for poetry and creative writing morphed into a lifestyle, eventually becoming what I do professionally, today. In 2017 I wrote my very first song, curated my inaugural showcase, and the rest is history.

I believe what sets me apart from others is how thorough I am. When I’m creating, I put my heart and soul into the art. I want to be sure that I’m producing a masterpiece and extending art that will transcend, every time I allow my creative juices to flow. For me, it’s not only art, but corrective education and understanding. Hours upon hours of research goes into everything I share, from conception to completion.

I’m most proud of my debut independent music project as an Emcee and Songwriter, ‘Tales from the Colony’ EP. I released my EP Thursday, December 26th, 2019 (the first day of Kwanzaa).

I’m extremely excited to finish and share my very first poetry book with the world. I’ve been working tirelessly on the book, journaling, documenting experiences, and pulling inspiration from just about everything and everyone. The work will speak to the souls of so many people.

I’m a firm believer in divine timing. I understand that where I am today professionally is because of divine timing. However, where I am today professionally is also because of discipline, and how dedicated and committed I am when it comes to my gift.

Nothing in life has been easy for me, I work hard for everything I have. I’ve journeyed past and leaped over every obstacle that has been placed in my path. I’ve truly been blessed to be resilient in the face of adversity, but only by leaning on Ancestors, my Spiritual Guides and God.

A couple of the lessons I’ve learned along the way are as follows. 01: Even if you have clearance to share sensitive information, refrain from doing so until the information has been made public knowledge. 02: If a project or opportunity doesn’t align with your values, interests and principals, it’s ok to turn it down. 03: What God and the Universe has for you, is for you, no one can get in the way of that; be patient. 04: An identical lesson will present itself through different people, things and occurrences until it has been learned. Pay attention and be cognitive of signs.

I want the world to know that life will not be a crystal stair, (a quote my mother would often verbalize to my siblings and I growing up from Langston Hughes’ ‘Mother to Son’ poem). I’ve experienced and lived through a series of unfortunate events. However, no matter the circumstance or situation I found myself in, I always dreamed of better days. Whoever is reading this, allow my words to serve as the sign you’ve been waiting for. If you have a vision, you can manifest it into reality. If you do the work, you can bring anything into fruition. Now, go be great and live in your destiny!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friends were visiting I would take them to the Atlanta Beltline, it’s filled with so much beauty and surely will deliver the experience I would want them to have. For a week-long trip, we would do breakfast at Gocha’s Breakfast Bar, lunch at Ms. Icey’s Kitchen & Bar, and Dinner at APT 4B. SkyView Atlanta is the perfect place to unwind and marvel at breathtaking, scenic views, I can’t have my tribe come to the city without stopping there. To end the trip, Atlanta Botanical Garden would be the destination.

In my opinion, some of the most fun, interesting, exciting people and places to check out would be my friends and their palaces, here in the city. My Atlanta tribe have the most beautiful homes and create warm, welcoming experiences for the people they love. We create the best vibes, simply by holding space for and with each other.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are three entities in which I am infinitely grateful for, and because of these entities, I will forever give thanks and praise. These entities are Ancestors, Spirits and God.

In addition to these three sacred entities, I too am grateful for how my village holds me up. With that being said, my shoutout wouldn’t be complete without thanking my family (mother and father especially) and friends.

Website: jibreelkhumas.com

Instagram: @jibreelkhumas

Twitter: @jibreelkhumas

Youtube: Jibreel Khumas – Topic

Image Credits
Alexis J