Russell Simmons announced today that he is trying to reboot Def Poetry Jam on HBO with Chance the Rapper as the new host. Deadline reports that the new iteration of the show would be called All Def Poetry, and that it's currently in the works at HBO.
According to Deadline, Simmons and Chance have been in talks since the Grammys in February. In a caption on Instagram, Simmons wrote, "Def poetry has won a Peabody award, Image award ,and a Tony award. Now I think I want an Emmy. The hood needs a Emmy."
The original Def Poetry Jam ran from 2002-2007, and was hosted by Yasiin Bey (known as Mos Def at the time). The show featured poetry from artists such as Kanye West, Nikki Giovanni, Lauryn Hill, and Amiri Baraka.
Representatives for Russell Simmons and Chance the Rapper were not immediately available for comment.
