City Soul Cafe History

Nestled in the corner of Brentwood Square Shopping Center is a new venue that is quickly making its mark on the Raleigh nightlife scene. The venue is Smokin Grooves Bar & Grill and it’s there that culture and community have nurtured a beautiful working relationship. Award-winning poet, educator, and spoken word artist Dasan Ahanu has partnered with Smokin Grooves owner Delph to present one of the hottest open mic events in the Triangle. The event is called City Soul Café Open Mic and it happens every Wednesday night. Starting at 8:30 pm, the event provides a platform for the best local artists to showcase their art and also features some of the hottest poets from across the country. 

Ahanu and Delph first developed the concept for City Soul Café in 2011. They teamed up to present the event at City Live Studios in Raleigh. The vision was to offer Raleigh a relaxed, sophisticated, and comfortable atmosphere where poets, musicians, and more could be showcased. There was food, a DJ, and a great crowd. Everyone left the event wanting more. When Delph decided to open Smokin Grooves in 2012, he knew he wanted to recreate the event there. 

The event kicked off in January 2013 and has been a recurring success every Wednesday night since. DJ Supreme provides the musical backdrop and the event is curated by some of the most seasoned hosts in the area. Dasan Ahanu shares hosting duties with Church da Poet and Sean Ingram. All three have worked together for years hosting, performing, and coordinating events across the Triangle. Ahanu and Ingram are products of the Raleigh poetry community having got their start in the late 90s at former Raleigh hot spots Expressions and The Cypher. Church is a transplant from Nashville where he was an active member of that poetry community and has been hard at work here since he arrived.  

City Soul Café Open Mic starts with DJ Supreme spinning soul, R&B, and classic Hip Hop tunes. The open mic list is open to poets, vocalists, lyricists, and musicians. All performances are acoustic or acapella. There are drink and food specials provided by the venue and patrons are catered to by the amazing Smokin Grooves staff. The service is excellent and helps set the vibe for the event. There are themed nights, giveaways, special guests, and interactive activities. The crowd is engaged at each show. The most popular crowd participation activity is the “old school moment” where the audience is challenged to a sing-along competition that crowns the last voice singing the lyrics correctly as the winner. City Soul Café Open Mic is truly an experience unlike any other. 

City Soul Café features some of the most talented poets and spoken word artists from across the country. Tony and Emmy award-winning artist Georgia Me has been featured. International touring artists and award-winning poets Red Storm, Tommy Bottoms, and Queen Sheba have been featured. National touring artists such as Kane Smego (Chapel Hill, NC), Drew Law (Washington, DC), and 13 of Nazareth (Alexandria, VA) have also been featured. The event has featured national poetry slam champions like Ed Mabrey (Charlotte, NC) and Brando (Denver, CO). Featured artists who have performed at the event have been seen on Def Poetry Jam (HBO), Verses and Flow (TV One), and BET’s 106 and Park. Even grammy award-winning artists have stopped by to share their gifts. The event has become a home for independent artists where support and appreciation are understood. 

City Soul Café is where new voices have an opportunity to express themselves in an open and welcoming environment and established voices have a chance to share their ongoing work with an attentive audience. This is a place where artists both new and old can share, network, and learn. Ahanu saw a need for a space like this in Raleigh and was continually reminded that there was a wide audience of people who love the arts and wanted to have a place where they could enjoy poetry while having a good time amongst their peers. City Soul Café has become a place for that and so much more.