Daniel Nwosu Jr. says he is creating art. And 50,000 people agree.
Nwosu was born in Ottawa, Canada, and is currently attending Newman University to play basketball and study communication. He has been creating spoken-word poetic pieces for the past 10 months, and has been passionate about basketball for the past 10 years. He is an artist and student-athlete, with a strong drive to be great at both.
On his way to a game in Arkansas, he began writing down thoughts and realized he could create inspirational pieces to share on social media.
“I didn’t know I was good at it, but when I saw how people reacted towards it, I felt the need to keep doing it,” Nwosu said. “If it makes a difference I want to keep doing it. I want to be a part of the solution, not the problem.”
He now has a following of over 50,000 people across his social media platforms.
Nwosu views his ability to craft creative pieces as a God-given talent; however, he does not consider himself “a check-mark on a survey type of guy” when it comes to religion. He said, “I’m a spiritual person. I believe in God and this ability is a gift from God.”
Using words to inspire others is not something Nwosu only puts out on social media.
“I’m always singing when walking to classes, or when I’m on the [basketball] court I’m always talking,” he said. “Usually, when I’m talking I’m playing my best. Hopefully talking on the court provides encouragement for other people, not just myself.”
Last month, Nwosu was asked to speak at Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School.
“I talked about self-empowerment, read them one of my pieces, and used a few stories from my life to wrap around the positive concepts I’m promoting,” said Nwosu. He has also spoken in the Wichita community and on campus as well. When he went back home to Canada for the summer he performed at a few open mic nights.
After graduation, Nwosu is looking to take his brand national. He is considering the possibility of pursuing a career in the NBA, but, “If I don’t go pro I want to be an artist and live my life in color.”
Nwosu added, “I want to do speaking engagements, make music videos, perform at concerts, make clothes with my brand. I can do so much with my brand.”
Every day, Nwosu puts out quick one-minute videos with a thought- provoking message. He takes ordinary, overlooked things and spins a challenging message out of them.
“I compare a gas station to life. We only put half in our tank, and we only put half of our effort into life,” he said.
Along with inspirational videos, he also does freestyle rap or makes clever music videos with contemporary messages ranging from the environment to love to politics.
“I consider myself a creator. I paint pictures with words. I’m an artist. I want to put things in the world that will last forever.”
You can connect with Nwosu on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
