Shop Now
Check out our products.
SHEA-COCO BUTTER(3 SCENTS. ENLARGE PICTURES)
$10.00Strawberry Bayou is a wellness brand started by Akeem and his Partner Derrick. Their first product is Shea-Coco Butter. Made with 10 Natural Oils and Natural Preservatives, this double pressed Shea-Coco Butter will soften skin more with each use. Product Ingredients include Beeswax, Coco-Butter, Shae Butter, Jojoba Oil, Coconut Oil, Vitamin E Oil, Argon Oil, Olive Oil, Sunflower Oil, Avocado Oil, Essential Oils(for scent) and Aloe Vera.View more details...SelectQuantity
Socially Distant:: Quarantine Collection Vol: 2
$20.00Socially Distant is the second installment of Akeem Olaj's Quarantine Collection of Poetry: His first full length set of poetry(as he call's it, his first accidental full length) is More Political than his spoken word works-that can be found on Youtube. While having a more political lens, This written work still manages to be infused with personal stories that's a corner stone of Akeem's work. As with the previous installment, this book is centered on Memories that are often Triggered by the events during 2020-2022 in The United States of America. It ranges from thoughts on Emmett Till(as a movie was released during the pandemic), Former President's Trump Denial of Covid, The social upheaval surrounding George Floyd's murder. As well as meditations on Black Love, and healing from Trauma.Quantity
Tethered Manacles
$12.00Akeem's first poetry chap book center's around the thoughts of freedom. Be it freedom from outside expectations, freedom of expression in unorthodox forms, or freedom in rarely used tropes. It features uncomfortable and unpopular personal truths that Akeem was told are taboo by family and friends. This is Akeem's "I'll show you better then I can tell you" collection.Quantity
Lazaretto: Quarantine Vol: 1
$15.00#3rd Poetry collection dealing with thoughts and repressed memories that resurfaced thus far while under the stay at home order. Written from a perspective of Black Man that has fallen ill right as the Covid-19 pandemic hit a fever pitch. Exposes the emotions of a person while they are going through the process of finding out if they are infected with Covid-19. Written from March 2020 to April 2020- This is part one of the seriesQuantityBio
A Husband, Partner, Father, writer, martial arts instructor, actor and architect, Akeem Olaj can be called a modern day Renaissance man. He’s been active in the New Orleans Poetry Community since 2004, when he and fellow high school students in the city began cultivating youth open mics and poetry slams. He was one of the founding members and team captain of N.O.Y.S. (New Orleans Youth Slam) that went to BNV (Brave New Voices) an international youth poetry slam in 2005. That year’s team finished 6th out of 40 teams in their first year of international competition. A person who loves to create, he went to college for architecture in 2005 and graduated from UL-Lafayette in 2009 with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture and from Tulane University with his Masters in Architecture and Design in 2011. All while Akeem was in school, he acted in numerous college plays and in 2008 got back into Slam Competition with New Orleans Slam.
In 2010 Akeem was one of the founding members and Slam Masters/coach of Slam New Orleans (affectionately nick named Team S.N.O.) and went on to nationals to win the group piece competition. This was New Orleans first National Title of any kind, and the first time New Orleans was represented in a national competition since hurricane Katrina in 2005. The team could not attend Nationals the following year but returned in 2012. That year Team S.N.O. did one better and won the entire National Poetry Slam and in 2013 repeated the feat; making Akeem a 3 time national poetry slam team titleist in his first 3 appearances in the competition.
BIO CONTINUED
Other Titles that he won with Team S.N.O. includes the 2016 Southernfried Team poetry champion , the 2016 And the 2017 Southwest regional poetry slam, the 2017 Red Stick Regional Poetry champion. As well as Two final appearances at Southwest Shootout Poetry Slam., and 3 other National Semi-Final Appearances 2015-2017
As an individual he's a 3 Time New Orleans Grand Slam Champion, the 2016, and 17 Rouge Roulette Regional Poetry Champion, two time finalist at Texas Grand Slam. Austin Poetry Slam Grand Slam Champion for 2019,a two time KTX slam Finalist and a two time finalist and the 2019 Champion of the Individual of the World Poetry Slam.
In 2014 Akeem was announced to be the top 40 people under 40 to know in New Orleans by Gambit weekly. He was recognized for his accomplishments in poetry and for his 2014 one man play called "not unto us" Directed by Bryeil Smith presented at the Reconstruction Conference of Louisiana.
Other artists he has opened for include Faith Evans, Ciara, Andra Day, Kendrick Lamar, Tank and the Bangas, Sunni Patterson, Buddy Wakefield and alternative singer Adia Victoria, and comedian/actress Amanda Seals.
He has been featured on CBS tonight News, USA Today, Button Poetry, Write About Now, All Def Poetry and Blavity,in 2018 He moved to Austin Texas and in 2023 he started a wellness brand of all natural products called Strawberry Bayou. For more info please check out the website store.
